Governor Announces Investment in Urban Park

On Dec. 13, 2010, in Point Park’s Lawrence Hall, outgoing Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that Pennsylvania has awarded $84 million for 19 projects throughout Allegheny County that will provide the foundation for the creation of more than 10,000 new jobs.

As one of these awardees, Point Park received a $3.25 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant from Gov. Rendell and the state legislature for the construction of a new park at Wood Street and Boulevard of the Allies. Funding for the 19 projects comes from the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, which operates on a reimbursement basis as construction expenses are billed and paid on projects that have been approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor.

The new corner park will improve the quality of life for students, visitors and residents of the neighborhood by replacing a surface parking lot with greenery and water features. It is a key component of the Academic Village at Point Park University.
Site preparation and construction began last fall on the distinctive outdoor gathering spot, which will feature colorful River Birch trees, plantings and a colonnade that will wrap the sides of two University buildings: the Boulevard Apartments and 100 Wood St. The south colonnade will open into a new restaurant on the lower level of the Wood St. building, and will culminate in a striking stair tower featuring a granite fountain on the lower level. Designers for the park are the architectural firm Tasso Katselas Associates (TKA) Inc. and Klavon Design, a landscape architecture firm. Massaro Corporation is leading construction on the park.

The new plaza, which will complement the design of the revitalized streetscape along the Wood Street Corridor between Ft. Pitt Boulevard and Third Ave., is scheduled to be completed in fall 2011. To learn more about Point Park’s urban green space, visit www.pointpark.edu/About/ AcademicVilliageInitiative/UrbanPark.

Professional Advancement

Sarah Perrier, Ph.D., assistant professor, was a featured poet on PBS News Hour’s Art Beat blog. The national public broadcasting’s weekly poetry segment presents Perrier reading “Poem in Which I Fail to Appear” in a videotaped at the Association of Writers & Writing Pro- grams conference in Washington, D.C. The poem is from Perrier’s book Nothing Fatal (2010, University of Akron Press). She is also the author of the chapbook Just One of Those Things (2003, Kent State University Press). Perrier’s poems have appeared in The Cincinnati Review, Cimarron Review, Hotel Amerika, the Journal, Pleiades and Mid-American Review. Her work has also been featured on Verse Daily. Perrier attended the AWP conference with assistant professor Karen Dwyer, who also teaches in the University’s creative writing program.

Sam Kosanovich, women’s basketball head coach at Point Park, will step down as head coach of the Pioneers at the end of the 2010-11 season. Kosanovich, who has taken the team to its most consistent success as the head coach the last five seasons, will take on his role as the University’s Student Center direc- tor full time. He has served a dual-role at Point Park. In addition to coaching he served as Recreation Center director and then director of the Student Center, which opened last fall in the building that was formerly the YMCA.

Patrick Millard, assistant professor in the School of Communication, has established a new lecture series on the photographic arts. The Speaking Light series features emerging and established artists. Millard’s work in photography, new media and sound addresses ideas about media, digital culture, technology and the interactions that human beings have within the synthetic environment. The lecture series brought three photographic artists to campus to speak this spring: Nate Abramowski on Jan. 28, Christine Holtz on Feb. 25 and Heather Pinson on March 25.

Ed Traversari, professional in residence with the sport, arts and entertainment management (SAEM) program, conceived of a Bob Marley Live Forever concert about five years ago and worked with the Marley family to bring the idea to fruition. The one-night-only tribute to Bob Marley, held on the 30th anniversary of his final performance, was lauded by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as the best concert of 2010. Many SAEM students assisted in production of the concert.

Manley Witten, adjunct professor in the School of Communication, edited War with Mexico! America’s Reporters Cover the Battlefront, written by Tom Reilly and published by the University of Kansas Press. The Mexican War was the first foreign war to be comprehensively reported in the American press. The book tells the history of the war through the eyes of reporters and reflects how that effort signaled the emergence of newspapers as an important force in American life.

Tatyana Dumova, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Communication, has joined a group of assessment experts in the field of communication to develop a comprehensive guide for measuring discipline-specific outcomes of student learning. Dumova is the lead author of a chapter on online assessment resources in A Communication Assessment Primer recently published by the National Com-munication Association, Washington, DC.

Rochelle Klein, assistant professor and coordinator of Music Education/Core Arts at the Conservatory of Performing Arts, presented highlights from her DVD There’s a Place for Us: Musical Theatre Resources in the Pittsburgh Area at Point Park’s Convocation last fall. Klein created the DVD, with the help of a faculty development grant, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Music Educators’ Association.

M. H. Sidky, Ph.D., professor in the School of Business, presented a paper on “Sovereign Debt Crisis and the Socio-Political Impacts of Austerity: The Case of Greece and the European Union” at the Northeastern Association of Business, Economics and Technology (NABET) in State College, Pa., last November. Sidky and business professors Archish Maharaja, Ph.D., and Dimitris Kraniou, Ph.D., co-authored and presented a paper on “Sustainability for Multinational Corporations through Knowledge Creation and Management.” Maharaja also presented a paper on “Economics of Operating an Independent Physician Practice” with co-author Gita Maharaja, Ph.D., at NABET.

Tim Hudson, Ph.D., dean of the School of Communication, traveled to Belgrade, Serbia, last fall to address the faculty of Singidunum University’s School of Media and Communication on the subject of “new technology in journalism education.” Hudson also presented guest lectures in several classes at the University of Belgrade, the University of Novi Sad and the Belgrade Academy of Arts.

Jim Thomas, Ph.D., associate dean in the School of Arts and Sciences, began a special assignment in the Office of Academic and Student Affairs beginning in the spring semester. Thomas’ role includes a focus on student academic issues, the facilitation of retention ef- forts, work with the deans and department chairs to more fully engage adjunct faculty, oversight for the Children’s School transition, and monitoring the strategic plan and budget of the office. He continues to provide support for Success Centers, First Year Initiative, and the Program for Academic Success. Lorelei Stein, Ph.D., assumed new responsibilities for the School of Arts and Sciences as faculty development facilitator. Stein’s role is to encourage and promote faculty and student research, enhance faculty scholarship, especially scholarship of teaching, and develop other faculty development initiatives.

New M.Ed. in Special Education

Point Park’s Department of Education will launch a new master’s program this fall. The M.Ed. in Special Education, leading to Pennsylvania teaching certification in special education for pre-kindergarten through grade 8 or grades 7 through 12, prepares educators for the state’s new special education certification that takes effect in 2013. Point Park is only one of 12 schools in the state offering new graduate and undergraduate pro- grams leading to certification in special education for secondary education. The University is offering three introductory courses this summer for graduate students interested in getting an early start on the 30-credit program. The graduate education program is structured to fit the schedule of classroom teachers and working professionals.

Grant Supports Public Art Design Commission

Point Park has received a $65,650 grant from The Heinz Endowments to support a design team commission for a public art project. Point Park and Riverlife have partnered to sponsor the commission, which will result in a public art installation designed to create a stronger pedestrian connection between campus and the newly constructed Mon Wharf Landing park. The entrance to the Mon Wharf is separated by urban roadways and the intersection at Wood Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard. Through the commission, an independent artist will be selected to work with the landscape architecture firm that designed the Mon Wharf Landing to invigorate the gateway with public art. The project aligns with Point Park’s Academic Village initiative to cultivate
connections between campus and its Downtown neighborhood, including the waterfront.

Day of Dreams

Point Park students donated their time to community service and shared their artistic creativity as part of the Univer- sity’s second annual “Day of Dreams” celebration to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 17. Students held a book drive to benefit Allegheny County Jail in- mates and their families and sold T-shirts to raise funds for Pittsburgh Promise students who attend or plan to attend Point Park. In addition, they encouraged students to create quilt squares on the theme of “My dream for you is....” The quilt was given to Martin Luther King Elementary School on Pittsburgh’s North Side. In an evening program, students shared their talents with dance, poetry and video dedicated to keeping King’s dream alive. The events were organized by the Honors Student Organization, Black Student Union, United Student Government and Ad Fed/PRSSA in collaboration with the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.

Cinema and Digital Arts Team Collaborates on Documentary

What Does Trouble Mean, Nate Smith’s Revolution, a documentary about the Pittsburgh African-American labor rights activist Nate Smith, premiered Feb. 18 on WPXI television in Pittsburgh. Cinema and Digital Arts department alumni, students and faculty held key positions in the production of the film, which profiles a pivotal figure in the national fight for civil rights. Faculty participating in post-production included Andrew Halasz, supervising sound editor/mixer. Students included Noel Schermaier and Brittany Klesic, both sound editors. Alumni produced the historical reenactments for the film, including Elise LaGamba, production designer; Jon Joseph, producer; and Donny Thomas, cinematographer. Student James Odgen II played the role of young Nate Smith. Post-production facilities were provided by Point Park.

Salute to The Courier

The School of Communication hosted a free public screening of the documentary Newspaper of Record: The Pittsburgh Courier on Jan. 25, at the GRW Theater. A panel discussion and reception, including African-American press scholars, reporters and editors, followed the screening. “The Courier played a major journalistic role not only in Pittsburgh but also in the nation,” said Steven Hallock, director of graduate studies in School of Communication.

Photo Honored in International Exhibit

Little did Nicole DeSantis know when she spontaneously snapped a photo of a Pittsburgh side street that her image would one day be exhibited in 66 coun- tries around the world. The Point Park senior and her photo were selected to represent the United States in the International Heritage Photographic Experience last December in Europe. DeSantis’ photo earned her an expenses-paid trip to Strasbourg, France, where a ceremony was held to honor all of the competition’s winners. The photojournalism major said it was “a great experience to be able to use something I created to travel and share with my peers internationally.”

In Memoriam

Ralph Altman, who served as chair of the business and accounting department at Point Park College in the 1970s, died on Dec. 12, 2010. He was 84. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Betty, and their eight children and 18 grandchildren. Altman served in the 63rd Infantry Division in Germany in WWII and played semi-pro baseball in the 1940s as a pitcher. He was also a practicing CPA for more than 50 years. “Our long-standing faculty members remember Ralph as their first “boss” and mentor at Point Park,” said Angela Isaac, dean of the School of Business. “Many of us had the opportunity to reconnect with Ralph at the 50th Anniversary Celebration dinner last fall September, enjoying his great stories and enduring love for our University. He will be sorely missed by his friends at Point Park.”

A Winning Business Plan

Students in Point Park’s Introduction to Business course gain real-world experience with a dose of friendly competi- tion in the School of Business’ annual Business Plan Contest, founded by Professor Elaine Luther, D.Sc. The third annual contest, held fall semester, was no different. More than a dozen groups of students in BMGT 101 participated in developing a business plan. Five of those groups advanced to the final round of competition. The winning concept, developed by students Caitlin Atkinson and Rebecca Wood, leverages the power of social media to help Pittsburgh public transit riders, including many students, make most efficient use of the system. Their concept, called Real Time Applications, is simple. Users download the app to their smart phone. Through this app, users can look up their bus route, view stops along that route, and get a real-time update on when buses left each stop. Users can also use the app to check in at their stops and add comments so other riders know what to expect. As part of their plan, Atkins identified the target market for promotions. Wood crunched numbers and worked out how Real Time Applications would be financed. The duo leveraged social media to gather information: they created a survey and sent it to people they knew on Facebook who fit the target demographic. They put all their information into a presentation that impressed the working professionals on the panel of judges. “It was exciting to get feedback from business leaders and to see such a positive response,” Atkinson said.