Registration is now open for two of Pitt’s signature forums: The sixth annual Community Engaged Scholarship Forum, which is planned for March 5, and the seventh annual Mentoring and Advising Summit on March 8.
Community Engaged Scholarship Forum
This year’s theme for the celebration of Pitt’s work in and with the wider community is “Progress Through Partnerships: Beyond a Thousand Points of Light.” The event, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 5 in Alumni Hall, is open to faculty, students, staff and community members.
The forum will showcase interconnected approaches to problem solving that result in partnerships advancing multiple aspects of community resilience.
The keynote speaker is Erin McDonald, lead for the Federal Plan for Equitable Long-Term Recovery and Resilience in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health. She leads the whole-of-government effort across more than 35 departments and agencies to build long-term resilience.
Several projects will be honored at the forum with the Partnerships of Distinction, the Soska and Wilds Outreach and Engagement Leadership and the CESF Collaboration Champion awards.
Register here for the Community Engaged Scholarship Forum.
Mentoring and Advising Summit
The virtual 2024 Mentoring and Advising Summit, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 8, is open to staff, faculty, graduate students and postdocs at Pitt or at other institutions. It is organized by the Student Success Team in the Office of the Provost.
The theme this year is “Inclusive Excellence in Mentoring and Advising.” There will be three main stage presentations at 9 a.m., 11:20 a.m. and 3:50 p.m. Between those events, concurrent sessions will cover a variety of topics, such as “Conserving your energy to better serve students,” “Apply Coaching Skills to Become a Better Mentor” and “Supporting Trans and Non-Binary Students and Colleagues.”
Participants can pick a track — Undergrad, Grad, Postdoc or High Ed Administration — to guide which concurrent talks to attend, or can select randomly.
Keynote speakers include:
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Amelia Parnell is vice president for research and policy at NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators), Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. She will be speaking with Interim Provost Joe McCarthy and Amanda Brodish, associate vice provost for data analytics, about the importance of data-driven and holistic advising approaches toward student success.
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Donte McGuire, managing director at Higher Ed Insight, and Tashera Gale, senior director of research and evaluation at Higher Ed Insight, will talk about the importance of authentically integrating students' perspectives in designing and implementing student success efforts.
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Catherine Shaw, director at Tyton Partners; April Belback, associate vice provost for student success and advising, and Carla Panzella, interim vice provost for student affairs and dean of students, will participate in a panel discussion on how collaboration and coordination are vital to holistic advising and student success