2023 Rewind: A Look Back at Highlights From the Year

From electing a new president to charting a bold path forward to shape the University's future, Point Park is celebrating our highlights from 2023. Take a look back at some of our top stories of the year, in no particular order.

Point Park Names New President

Pictured is President Chris W. Brussalis. Photo | Natalie Caine
Dr. Chris W. Brussalis — who served as interim president of Point Park since Feb. 1, 2023 — was appointed the University's ninth president July 25.

Events and Celebrations

We couldn't pick just one, so here's a snapshot of some key moments from spring to fall of this year:

Picklesburgh — held in the middle of our Downtown Pittsburgh campus — welcomed pickle lovers near and far.
Students, guest artists and choreographers experienced all things dance at the National High School Dance Festival on campus.
Myron Cope Day celebrated Cope’s legacy and career. Plus, we announced the Myron Cope HS Athletic Communication Awards, recognizing excellence in athletic communication in Western Pennsylvania.
Homecoming and Family Weekend reconnected our Pioneer family and friends.
Undergraduate Commencement and Graduate Hooding celebrated the Class of 2023 at PPG Paints Arena.
Pioneer Pause provided a break from classes to focus on our collective well-being.
Point Park's SAEM program celebrated its 20th anniversary with a day of programming and live entertainment.

Newsworthy Moments

Pictured is alumnus James Manning teaching a dance class.

Yes, of course we think everything is newsworthy, but we wanted to take a moment to highlight a few that made headlines:

Point Park announced a first in Pennsylvania Master's in PreK-12 dance education certification program.
BloomBoard partnership takes on Pa. teacher shortage with innovative new degree program.
University offers a complete in four years B.F.A. to MBA program.
Study examined how safer, cleaner alleyways could positively impact life in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Citizen reporting academy is the latest effort to combat media deserts.
Pittsburgh ranked as best place to live and work as a filmmaker.

New Facilities

President Brussalis with students in Matt's Maker Space Two.

Point Park is all about bettering our spaces for fresh faces to give students what they need for an optimal student experience. Here are some exciting new facilities that we're proud to recap:

Matt's Maker Space Too — a new STEM lab equipped with low- and high-tech tools and supplies for our education majors — opened its second learning lab in Academic Hall.
The Center for Media Innovation — a cutting-edge learning lab for students and a hub for local media and the Downtown Pittsburgh community — relocated to West Penn Hall.
School of Arts and Sciences and Conservatory of Performing Arts students collaborated to refresh the CSI House on campus.
Pioneer Records — a student-run record label in the Rowland School of Business — opened The Sound Vault, a multi-use rehearsal space.
The Reset Room — a new space to rejuvenate, relax and recharge — welcomes all students to unwind in West Penn Hall.
The Nook — a new campus community kitchen — is available to students in the Point Cafe.

Our Community

Pictured is cinema arts major Adam Snook. Photo | Ethan Stoner
Point Park wouldn't be Point Park without our community. And we do our best to feature a breadth of our students, faculty and alumni throughout the year:

Our Get Career-Ready TikTok and Q&A series highlighted a day-in-the-life of our Point Park students.
Our alumni success stories showcased the value of a Point Park education.
Our faculty with real-world experience continue to guide their students on a path to success.

Pioneer Vision 2030

Point Park charted a bold path forward with an innovative strategic plan — Pioneer Vision 2030 —shaping the University's future. We can't wait to see what's next.

Visit Scholarship Announcement

Pictured is Juan Barrera. Photo | Ethan Stoner

We want our prospective students to see our campus and to encourage them to do so, Point Park launched a visit scholarship program — valued at $4,000 — for high school students who visit our Downtown Pittsburgh campus and decide to enroll as a full-time student.

Honoring the Finkelhor Legacy

Pictured is Dorothy Finkelhor.

The 2023 Faculty Research Symposium & Finkelhor Lecture celebrated research interests and the work of our professors. The annual event honors the legacy of Dorothy and L. Herbert Finkelhor, who started Point Park as a small business training college in 1933.

Athletics

The Point Park men's track and field and cross country program had four members team up to win the NAIA Men's Marathon National Championship on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023.

We are proud of our athletics program and want to recognize a few achievements of our student athletes this year:

National Champs: Point Park men made history at the NAIA Marathon National Championship.
3-Peat: Point Park Athletics retained the River States Conference Commissioner's All-Sports Cup.

Go Pioneers!

We look forward to sharing another exciting year with the University community. Happy New Year from all of us at Point Park!

More About: Pioneer Records, Center for Media Innovation, dance, athletics, Downtown Pittsburgh, sports, arts and entertainment management, Conservatory of Performing Arts, commencement, School of Education, Get Career-Ready, School of Communication, Rowland School of Business, criminal justice, alumni

2023 Rewind: A Look Back at Highlights From the Year Wednesday, December 27, 2023