By SHANNON O. WELLS

In her report at the May 21 Senate Council meeting, Chancellor Joan Gabel shared encouraging news as well as challenges. She started on a light note by thanking everyone for taking part in the annual Chancellor’s Staff and Faculty Appreciation Picnic, held May 15 on the Posvar Patio and Schenley Drive.

“Very nice to see you on the picnic,” she said at the last meeting of the 2025-26 academic year. “It was very kind of the weather to cooperate, and it was a very nice day. We were very glad to be able to resume that tradition. So, thank you all very much.”

In governmental relations, Gabel mentioned the launch of the Pitt Regional Campus Tuition Pledge, a tuition-free program for eligible Pennsylvania residents at Pitt’s Bradford, Greensburg and Johnstown campuses, beginning this fall. Students whose household adjusted gross income is $75,000 or less will not pay any tuition to attend the regional campuses.

“It’s a part of our broader regional enrollment strategy, part of our overall overarching goal on accessibility, and is tied in directly with the goals in the strategic plan,” she said of the Plan for Pitt. “We’re very delighted to have received a lot of support from you all (as well as) really good questions and conversations, which we, of course, are very happy to continue to discuss and answer.

“We had very good feedback across the Commonwealth, and we were very glad that our regional presidents, who were able to go to Harrisburg on one of their regular journeys, received a lot of very good feedback,” she added.

In other, less upbeat, government relations news, Gabel said Pitt is working “very actively” in Washington, D.C., on what’s been referred to as the “slow spend” on deployment of research dollars for the University, primarily from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.

“This is not exclusive to Pitt, it’s a national question, and pretty profound and part of what may be similar to what happened last year …” she said. “We are advocating actively.”

Most recently, Rob Rutenbar, senior vice chancellor for research, and David Brown, vice chancellor for government relations and advocacy, met with Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick’s staff to discuss the challenges.

“We receive a lot of support from our delegation, but this is more complex than just us, so we’re hopeful that because we know our colleagues at other institutions are advocating in the same way,” she explained, “that this will eventually result in the release of those funds and the support of our research enterprise.”  

Regarding unionization, Gabel said “a lot of progress” has been made since the beginning of 2025. For the first staff contract, she described a “tentative agreement” on several provisions, and “similarly meaningful progress” in graduate student union bargaining.

For faculty, discussions are “progressing constructively” on the first renewal of the union’s collective bargaining agreement.

In other news, Gabel said the search to replace School of Social Work Dean Betsy Farmer, who stepped down from her role and returned to a faculty role, is “almost at the conclusion.” The chancellor expressed “great appreciation for all of the consultation and input, and the leadership of the search committee.”

Civic discourse

Providing an update on Pitt’s civic discourse efforts, Gabel reminded that in 2023 the University became a founding member of the Citizens and Scholars’ Initiative, Campus Call for Free Expression, which then had 13 members. The effort, now called College Presidents for Civic Engagement, has increased to 155 members.

“It’s taken on life in the best possible way … which can be interpreted multiple ways, this one is the positive interpretation,” she said. “We are part of their campus-wide immersion pilot, and we’ve been able to plug into their (Civic Wellbeing) Index, which is a new tool, ultimately, in the journey around fostering open and free expression and civic engagement.”

It’s also important “for ourselves as a community,” and specifically “in support of our students as they not only engage but develop their tools and have the learning opportunity associated with the development of their tools.”

The spring survey had 4,700 students participate, which Gabel called “a really good uptick, nearly four times the rate that we had the first time we ran the survey. Those responses reinforced what we saw in the fall.” It revealed that:

• 63% of students reported strong confidence in their civic information skills.

• 68% of students reported they were highly confident in using evidence to support their arguments.

• More students in the spring felt extremely, as in 100%, confident in their ability to make evidence-based arguments and identify credible information.

Shouting out

For the chancellor’s accolades, she recognized Penny Morel, outgoing Senate secretary, for four years of service to Senate Council, and John Stoner, who became Senate vice president on May 1, “for his service, with appreciation.”

Gabel recognized Pitt alum Rebecca Johnson, a former editor in chief of The Pitt News, who was part of the Chicago Tribune team that recently won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize … “which is fantastic.”

In other accolades:

• Twelve Pitt students were named Gilman Scholars.

• Maureen Litchfield, dean of the School of Public Health, was named a 2026 Woman of Influence by the Pittsburgh Business Times.

• Geovette Washington, senior vice chancellor and chief legal officer, received the Woman of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania.

• Karen Arndt, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, was elected to this year’s class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

• Lisa Garland, director of talent acquisition in the Office of Human Resources, was named the Pittsburgh Human Resources Association’s 2026 Leader of the Year.

• Diane Holder, chair of the Pitt Public Health Board of Visitors and former trustee, was recognized with an honorary degree at the School of Public Health’s commencement ceremony.

• Chancellor Emeritus Mark Nordenberg was recognized at spring commencement with the Chancellor’s Medal, the first one Gabel has awarded. “I do think I surprised him (or he let) me believe that I surprised him,” she noted. “So, I appreciate that.”

“Of course, a shout out to our new graduates of the University, who were recognized at what I thought was really lovely spring commencement, for those of you who were able to come or watch it at (Acrisure Stadium), which we hadn’t been in in quite some time.”

Noting the stadium staff “were great partners,” Pitt’s presenters and graduates “got to use all the toys, the speakers and the screens — and it was fun, as it should be a celebration,” Gabel said.

Concluding her report, the chancellor offered “best wishes for the summer of your desires, as it may be. And while we won’t be together again until September, please know that I’m always available.”

President’s report

In her report, Senate Council President Kris Kanthak expressed gratitude for the chancellor’s reception, which took place after the meeting in the room next door, “for what it marks, another year of strong shared governance at the University of Pittsburgh.”

In her first year as president, she said the “main thing” she learned is “how rare and valuable a system of shared governance we have here at Pitt. As I’ve said repeatedly in my reports this year, these are hard times for academia. They’re hard everywhere, but we’re lucky here because we face those tides together as a community.”

In her “day job” as a political scientist, Kanthak noted she thinks a lot about “dialogue across difference: How people who disagree can get together and talk through issues to reach better outcomes than they might have imagined on their own. As president of the University Senate, I’ve gotten a master class in how that can work effectively.

“The research shows — and my experience this year bears out — that one of the main keys to working effectively across difference is the assumption that others are approaching the interaction with goodwill.

“We don’t have to agree on every single thing in order to work effectively toward a solution to the issue that’s in front of us right now,” she noted. “So, I’m grateful to each of you for sticking with me, even if I have at some point annoyed the heck out of you this year.

“And I recognize that the group of people I’ve annoyed at some point includes nearly everyone in this room. And if I haven’t annoyed you yet, there’s still one more year on my term. I can assure you, you will get your turn.”

Kanthak noted that the “grace” she’s received this year is not earned, “but rather a gift that I get for being in a community so willing to find ways to work together,” adding that “shared governance here is tremendously valuable and worth marketing as an example of that spirit.”

She said she was “grateful” to Provost Joe McCarthy and Chief Financial Officer Dwayne Pinkney for meeting with her and Senate Budget Policies Committee Chair Juan Taboas to address issues related to budget transparency that Taboas brought up at the May 13 Faculty Assembly meeting.

“We all agreed that budgets are both complex and complicated in even the best of times, and that shared governance can be a powerful tool to assuring transparency in the budget process moving forward,” she noted. “I appreciate their leadership, all three of them, and their strong commitment to the principles of shared governance.

“Juan is an excellent example of the willingness to do the hard work to keep our committees running, and I’m grateful to all of our committee chairs for their hard work and dedication this year.”

Acknowledging that “most of the real work of shared governance happens in committees,” which Kanthak said “wouldn’t happen without the dedication of our chairs,” who are being selected for the next academic year.

“I’m also grateful to those who are willing to stand for election to these important roles and look forward to working with you and your committees in the future.”

In other news, she acknowledged the last meeting for Senate Secretary Penny Morel, who is “literally moving to greener pastures in Scotland.”

“Penny, it’s been a great honor and a great pleasure to work with you, so thank you,” Kanthak said. “I wish you all the best in retirement. And please let us come visit.”

Kanthak welcomed Melanie Scott as the newly elected Senate secretary for the 2026-27 academic year and acknowledged the “first official meeting” with new Senate Vice President John Stoner. “John, thank you for your continued willingness to work hard toward bettering the community.”

Policies approved

In other business, Senate Council approved new policies pertaining to academic visitors, the OneCard charge policy and purchasing practices. Faculty Assembly approved the policies at its May 13 meeting.

The Academic Visitor Policy, which the Senate Research Committee discussed during its March 20 meeting, was created to bring clarity and transparency to the dynamic of research scholars visiting Pitt.

Following a presentation by Francis Ferdinand, co-chair of the Faculty Affairs committee and professor in the School of Medicine, Staff Council President Lindsay Rodzwicz said the policies have “sort of an overarching theme that to me, they’re very staff-centric in implementation. These are going to be policies that staff are going to be responsible for, a lot of the execution of helping academic visitors to be on campus. I wondered … was there a staff member on the policy committee as you discussed?”

Bill Yates, vice chancellor for research protections, noted that the campus visitor website lays out “everything that’s been in existence for a long time” and that training videos by Alan DiPalma, executive director of the Office of Research Protections, are available online.

“Again, (the policy) really doesn’t change anything,” Yates clarified. “It basically says we have to follow the procedures that have been in place for many years.”

To another question about students being recruited as postdocs, Yates explained that such short-term visitors “don’t need to go through anyone on this process. It’s only if they’re going to be working in a laboratory in an experimental situation, that’s when we get worried, and that’s when we need to actually put in more procedures.”

Senate Council approved the policy unanimously, with 28 voting in favor.

Presented by Juan Taboas, the OneCard Policy outlines the authority of the Payment Processing and Compliance Department to govern processes supporting use of the OneCard charge system.

This includes establishing a process for obtaining a OneCard, setting purchasing limits in consultation with the cardholder’s supervisor/manager, providing required training for card use, evaluating expenses and limits in accordance with this and other University polices, and de-activating OneCards.

Following the introduction of a “friendly amendment” to clarify that postdocs and student employees are currently ineligible to apply for OneCards, Senate Council unanimously approved the policy, with 27 voting in favor.

The Purchasing Authority and Responsibilities Policy supports and defines the University’s activities when purchasing goods or services in order to: 1) promote responsible stewardship of funds; 2) direct compliance with funding and regulatory requirements; and 3) support strategic sourcing initiatives.

Rodzwicz emphasized the importance of making sure the policies address needs of “all of our stakeholders. I think that it would be great for the rank and file — faculty and staff who are doing the work of these policies … I think that communication to the units remains important and (Staff Council would) be happy to continue to discuss that further.”

Senate Council unanimously approved the policy, with 27 voting yes.

Shannon Wells is a University Times reporter. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.

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