Editor’s note: This is the third in a series about what’s new at each of Pitt’s regional campuses. Find the Bradford update in the Nov. 7 edition and the Greensburg update in the Nov. 21 edition.
By SUSAN JONES
This fall, the Pitt-Johnstown campus saw its first uptick in enrollment since 2017, and Michael Drahos, associate vice president for student affairs and athletics, thinks that three new sports at the school played a role in that.
“Several years ago, our student athletes were probably around nine to 10% of the population, and now we’re upwards of almost 20%,” he said.
The new teams include men’s and women’s swimming and women’s wrestling, which just became an official NCAA championship sport earlier this year.
Drahos said women’s wrestling was a natural fit at Johnstown, where the men’s team was led for 48 years (1976-2024) by legendary coach Pat Pecora, the winningest coach in college wrestling history at any level.
There are seven students on the women’s wrestling team, and five total in men’s and women’s swimming. They make up more than half of the 20 additional students on campus this year. Total enrollment is 1,829.
One of those wrestlers, Tamara Humphries, has drawn extra attention to the program for some activity off the mat. Humphries, a Brashear High School grad, posted on her popular social media sites this summer that she was struggling to get to practice without a car, which she was saving up to buy. Then she got a message from NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, who stepped in to buy her an SUV with no strings attached. The two appeared on NBC’s “Today” show in October.
Adding the sports was definitely “enrollment driven,” Drahos said. “One of our goals was to increase our female enrollment on campus and and part of the initiative was women’s wrestling.” Last year, there were 24 new female student-athletes, compared to 46 this year.
In fall 2024, 55.9% of Johnstown students were male, which is contrary to most schools where women are the majority. Drahos said one of their goals is to increase the number of female students in the engineering program, which is the largest major on campus.
Drahos said Pitt–Johnstown has been doing a good job of “selling what we offer.”
“You’re getting a Pitt education … a world class education in a small environment,” he said. “Your teachers are going to know your name, you’re going to know your teachers. You’re going to be in a small classroom setting.”
The school has been recognized in several rankings. Drahos said they’re very proud of making a new U.S. News & World Report list of “A-plus schools for B Students.”
“It’s for students that maybe don’t have a perfect on their SATs, but end up going to schools and end up with positive outcomes, high career earnings and job placement,” he said, noting that the list also includes some much bigger, well-known schools like Michigan State and University of Cincinnati.
Overall, the school was ranked 14th in regional colleges north — 9th in public schools — by U.S. News & World Report.
Pitt–Johnstown, along with the Bradford and Greensburg campuses, also made the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and American Council on Education list of “Opportunity Colleges and Universities,” which recognizes institutions that provide high access to underrepresented students and strong post-graduation earnings.
New space and degrees
One big addition to the Johnstown campus is the recently purchased Met Life building, which sits adjacent to the school. The building will become the Musulin University Center, named for alumnus John Musulin who donated $2.2 million to support the acquisition of a 74-acre property.
The parcel includes a 178,000-square-foot, four-story office building with an outdoor courtyard and 500 parking spaces. The land was previously owned by the University of Pittsburgh and had been owned by Met Life Company since the late 1990s.
Eventually, the four-story building will be used for athletics facilities — its adjacent to several UPJ sports fields — and academics. A new road also will need to be built to give direct access. “It’s going to be something that the entire campus is going to benefit from,” Drahos said.
The campus also added a bachelor of science degree program in environmental science this fall.
They’ve also revamped their advising program to bring in career services earlier to make sure “that our students are on a path early on in their college tenure that’s going to lead to an actual career,” Drahos said.
“If there’s one thing Dr. (Jem) Spectar, our president, is very passionate about, it’s making sure that our students leave our university ready for real-world careers. And are real-world ready and getting ready to actually contribute in today’s society.”
Pitt–Johnstown also is partnering with local business to develop the Jupiter Building in downtown Johnstown into a training hub. The program is still in the planning phase, but Drahos said they hope to offer certifications and other training for adults, as well as high school and college students.
“We’ve talked to some of the businesses in Johnstown area to see, what are your needs? What are you looking for?” he said. “And again, I think it’s something that’s going to be beneficial for not only our community in the Johnson area, but also our university as well.”
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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