Distinguished Faculty
Point Park’s faculty members bring real-life work experience into the classroom. As professional practitioners, they know what it takes to run a business, conduct research, manage a newsroom or direct a stage production. They engage our students and our community, all while remaining committed to professional and scholarly pursuits.
- We have 130 full-time faculty members
- Our student-to-faculty ratio is 14:1
- In 2010, our faculty made 137 scholarly presentations world-wide
- In that same year, they also published 28 books and articles
Point Park Alumni:
In Their Own Words
“As I was considering options, I learned that there were successful former Pittsburgh Public Schools administrators on faculty at Point Park. I chose the University for its reputation.”
— Adam Sikorski,
M.A., 2009
Pittsburgh Public Schools Principal
Read his story
Here are just a few examples of recent faculty achievements:
School of Business
- Dimitris Kraniou, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of global management and organization, was accepted as a new member in the Hellenic Society of International Law & International Relations. The Society’s select membership includes academics doing international work and practitioners involved in international law, international policy, and international relations. The Society works with the European Society of International Law.
- Michael Haley, Ph.D., associate professor and H.J. Heinz endowed chair of business management, went to The Sydney Australia Economics Conference to present his published paper, “The Simplest Model of Financial Crisis.”
- The School of Business held a symposium 2011: The Global System in Crisis. Faculty presenters, including Dimitris Kraniou, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of global management and organization, Archish Maharaja, Ed.D., assistant professor and director of the M.B.A. program, and M.H. Sidky, Ph.D., professor of global management and organization, joined panelists from Pittsburgh-based international corporations to discuss impacts of the current economic crisis.
- Debbie Stephen introduced Point Park’s new Cash Course in collaboration with the National Endowment for Financial Education. The online resource about financial literacy is now available to students, parents and all members of the University community through the School of Business.
Read more news from the School of Business.
School of Arts & Sciences
- Gregory Rogers, J.D., department chair, professor and director of Point Park University’s intelligence studies and national security program, received a “Lifetime Achievement Award in Intelligence and National Security” from the U.S.A. Tactical Hall of Fame. Rogers began Point Park University’s intelligence studies and national security program in 2005 after a career as a federal agent with the U.S. Secret Service, Protective Services, U.S. Marshal Service, and U.S. Customs Service.
- Channa Newman, Ph.D., professor and director of global cultural studies, was recently named director of international programs for the Prague Writers' Festival. During the 2011 festival, Newman interviewed Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Diaz, Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott and author Don Delillo and met with the U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic, Norman Eisen.
- Kathleen Puskar, Ph.D. joined the department of natural sciences and engineering technology to teach mechanical engineering technology. Puskar came to Point Park from California State Polytechnic University and previously held scholarly positions with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of California. She has worked as a computation fluid dynamics analyst, production engineer and vehicle design engineer. Her current research interests lie in the area of computational biomechanics.
- Brent Robbins, Ph.D., associate professor, and Robert McInerney, Ph.D., assistant professor, will co-chair the fifth annual conference of the Society for Humanistic Psychology, Division 32 of the American Psychological Association. The conference, “Person, Consciousness and Community,” will be held in Pittsburgh March 29-April 1, 2012 and hosted by Point Park University.
Read more news from the School of Arts and Sciences.
School of Communication
- Steve Hallock, Ph.D., School of Communication director and assistant professor of journalism, has published op-eds in newspapers that include The New York Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Philadelphia Inquirer and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Hallock also recently authored a book to be published in 2012 about press coverage during the buildup to wars after World War II.
- Tatyana Dumova, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Communication, published a chapter on student perceptions of online tools in Computer-Mediated Communication: Issues and Approaches in Education. Dumova’s research examines online tests and quizzes to determine what features of Blackboard-based testing environment are most beneficial from a student perspective. Dumova recently made two peer-reviewed research presentations at the annual National Communication Association convention in New Orleans.
- Andrew Conte, School of Communication adjunct professor and director of the Point Park News Service, authored Breakaway: The Inside Story of the Pittsburgh Penguins' Rebirth. The book details the Penguins' journey from bankruptcy and losing seasons to its 2009 Stanley Cup win and the opening of a new arena in the summer of 2010. Conte is also an investigative reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- Bill Moushey, professor, served as director of Point Park’s Innocence Institute, which investigated claims of wrongful convictions and raised awareness of issues associated with the criminal justice system, from its inception until spring 2012, when it ceased operations.
Read more news from the School of Communication.
Conservatory of Performing Arts
- Douglas Bentz, Conservatory of Performing Arts dance professor, conceived and choreographed The Jazz Nutcracker, presented by the Point Park University Conservatory Dance Company at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. The production featured music by Tchaikovsky, arranged by Joe Campus after Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, and played live by The Benny Benack Band.
- Stephanie Mayer-Staley, Conservatory of Performing Arts associate professor, traveled to the Czech Republic with a group of students including one whose design was selected to be part of the student exhibit at The Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, the world’s largest theatrical design conference and festival. The event takes place only once every four years.
- Steve Cuden, assistant professor of screenwriting and writer, director and producer, co-created the Broadway and international stage hit, Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical. Cuden wrote the show’s original book and lyrics with composer Frank Wildhorn.
- Kiesha Lalama, assistant professor of dance, choreographed works for a movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and two dance companies, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble, plus the opening of Point Park’s Urban Park, and the TEDx Pittsburgh conference.
Read more news from the Conservatory of Performing Arts. But first, read more about the proven value of a Point Park education: