By DONOVAN HARRELL
The University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees meeting featured Chancellor Pat Gallagher’s annual report on the state of the University.
His report summarized Pitt’s recent improvements in diversity, college rankings and more. He also highlighted several new developments within Pitt’s student body and campuses, including:
- The Titusville regional campus will see some renovations to the Titusville Education and Training Campus Hub.
- Pitt’s freshman class is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse with more female and minority engineers and nurses than previous classes.
- The Pittsburgh Public Scholars program welcomed its inaugural 10 students in September. The program offers guaranteed admission to any Pitt Campus and financial support for four years to all valedictorians and salutatorians of Pittsburgh Public schools
- In all of Pitt’s campuses, there are 11 percent more international students, 29 percent more minority students, 23 percent more underrepresented minority students, compared to five years ago.
- Pitt’s 2-year-old program to grow its number of contracts with women- and minority-owned businesses has seen increased investment. Before the program, Pitt spent $8.3 million on construction contracts with minority- and women-owned businesses and last year, it increased to $24.1 million.
- Pitt had its highest four-year graduation rate at 69 percent and had a retention rate of 93 percent last year, the highest retention rate on record.
The board also confirmed Pitt’s new senior vice chancellor and chief financial officer, Hari Sastry, who serves as director of the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources at the U.S. Department of State.
The Compensation Committee, meeting after the confirmation, approved Sastry’s salary at $390,000 starting on Oct. 22.
Gallagher also revealed a draft for Pitt’s master campus plan, which provides a look into Pitt’s long-term development projects.
Donovan Harrell is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at dharrell@pitt.edu or 412-383-9905.