Community Engagement

Students in the Ph.D. in Community Engagement Program's New Cohort Reflect on the Start of a Transformative Journey

Monday, October 28, 2024 "I am most excited to experience the evolutions and expansions that will occur through this program. This Ph.D. journey won’t be an easy one, but I am not alone. Since the start of the program, I have been supported by my cohort members, professors and local community partnerships."

Pictured are students Esrom Williams, Margaret Hinnebusch and Leroy Headen at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Photo by Nicole Chynoweth.

Alumni Profile

Jimyse Brown '22

"The work that you do in the community engagement program is undoubtedly connected to what you want to do professionally. When you attack it with the best intentions in a genuine way and you dive in and give your all, you can be transformed and fully show up in the sector that you desire."

Pictured is Jimyse Brown. Photo by Ethan Stoner.

Community Garden Will Combat Food Insecurity and Provide Free Produce to Students

Thursday, July 18, 2024 A vegetable garden located behind West Penn Hall will provide free produce to students this fall.

A woman plants vegetables in a raised bed with downtown in the background.

Point Park University Celebrates 64th Commencement and Hooding Ceremonies

Monday, April 29, 2024 Point Park University celebrated graduation at PPG Paints Arena on Friday, April 26.

Point Park Receives PA Hunger-Free Campus Grant to Combat Food Insecurity Among Students

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 “Research consistently shows food insecurity is an issue for many students across the U.S., and we know Point Park students are not an exception. Our goal has been to continually grow the services we offer our students and this grant will allow us to do that.”

Veterans Day Recognition 2023

Friday, November 10, 2023 Jake Wheatley, keynote speaker at the Veterans Day Recognition ceremony, urged attendees to care for and support veterans.

Students in Marketing Course Collaborate with Point Park Alumni at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

Monday, June 5, 2023 Students in Professor Paige Beal's Principles of Marketing course developed mission-driven marketing plans for a real-world client this spring as they teamed up with Point Park University alumni working at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

Pictured is Professor Paige Beal interacting with students in the Principles of Marketing course. Photo by Madi Fisher.

Rowland School of Business Professor Tahirah Walker Receives $15,000 Advancing Black Arts Grant from the Heinz Endowments

Wednesday, March 1, 2023 A $15,000 individual artist support grant from the Heinz Endowments' Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh program will support Dr. Walker's effort to create a book of letters, short stories and poems about the experience of being a Black woman in Pittsburgh.

Student Profile

Vickye Ford '23

"I recommend Point Park's community engagement program to anyone who wants to take a comprehensive, holistic approach to working in and improving communities."

Pictured is Vickye Ford. Submitted photo.

Point Park University's Department of Community Engagement and Leadership Announces First Bonner Leaders Group

Tuesday, November 29, 2022 “Bonner students emerge from their college experience with a greater understanding of communities and the problems that exist within them, as well as the skills and commitment to be effective in community problem-solving efforts."

Pictured from left in the top row are Sarah Barrett, Jade Bowen-Jean, Rachel Brown and Madyson Christie. Pictured from left in the bottom row are Terry Craig Jr., Jordan Haikey, Grace Schmader and Gianna Talento. Submitted photos.

Faculty Q&A: Shamayeta Bhattacharya, Ph.D.

Thursday, October 13, 2022 "Point Park's Department of Community Engagement & Leadership provides the space to pursue and work on meaningful community engagement with an emphasis on engagement. I see students and faculty working hand in hand with the community."

Pictured is Shamayeta Bhattacharya. Submitted photo.

New Full-Time Faculty for 2022-23 Academic Year

Friday, September 30, 2022 Meet Point Park's nine new full-time faculty members for the 2022-23 academic year.

Faculty Q&A: Tahirah Walker, Ph.D.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022 "I want students to know that if you take my class or come to an event I'm putting on, my number one goal is to make you laugh. I absolutely believe in the power of joy."

Pictured is Tahirah Walker. Photo by Randall Coleman.

"Where Can We Go?" Public Restroom Study Provides Community Engagement Students with Hands-On Research Experience

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 Students researched the lack of access to public restrooms in the Golden Triangle of Downtown Pittsburgh that outlined potential solutions and benefits of installing public restrooms in the city.

Pictured from left to right are Ashley Malachi, Heather Starr Fiedler and Judy Riegelnegg. Photo by Nicole Chynoweth.

Department of Community Engagement & Leadership Welcomes New Cohort with Symposium and a Service Project

Tuesday, September 6, 2022 Point Park University's Department of Community Engagement & Leadership welcomed its fall 2022 cohort for the Ph.D. in Community Engagement program with a welcome weekend of volunteer service and real-world research presentations.

Point Park Announces Summer in the City Programs for Youth and High School Students

Monday, April 11, 2022 “Our Summer in the City programs are a great way for younger students to get a taste of academic college life, experience the excitement of Downtown Pittsburgh and find out what motivates them about learning,” said Heidi Ward, director of community and summer education.

Alumni Q&A: Deborah Skillings-Phillips, Ph.D., and Karen Smoot, Ed.D.

Monday, October 4, 2021 Sisters Deborah Skillings-Phillips and Karen Smoot leaned on each other for support as they successfully defended their doctoral dissertations in September, earning a Ph.D. in Community Engagement and Ed.D. in Leadership and Administration, respectively.

Pictured from left are Deborah Skillings-Phillips, Ph.D., Mitchel Nickols, Ph.D., and Karen Smooth, Ed.D.

Faculty Spotlight: Helena Knörr, Ph.D.

Monday, October 4, 2021 "The collaborative nature of this work allows me to connect business, community engagement, education and social justice under the same umbrella and bring back to Point Park and its students in the various programs the lessons learned internationally."

Heather Starr Fiedler and Shawn Sweeney Earn National Community Engagement Credential

Monday, September 20, 2021 Heather Starr Fiedler, Ph.D., and Shawn Sweeney, M.S., earned a micro-credential in Community Engagement Fundamentals through Campus Compact’s Community Engagement Professional Credentialing Program.

Alumni Profile

Maria Montaro '20

Ph.D. in community engagement alumna named a 30 Under 30 honoree by the Pittsburgh Business Times.

Pictured is Maria Montaro. Submitted photo.

Pathways to Perform Podcast

Tuesday, April 27, 2021 Dance Professor Kiesha Lalama teamed up with School of Communication students to produce the Pathways to Perform podcast. The goal of the podcast is to inspire and guide young artists on a path towards success in various industries.

Point Park University's Department of Community Engagement Hosts Virtual TEDx Event

Monday, March 22, 2021 Thrive, a TEDx event, will be held Friday, March 26, from 9 a.m. to noon on Facebook.

Student Profile

Shannon Gregg '14, '20

Shannon J. Gregg, Ph.D. in community engagement student, MBA grad and a part-time instructor, was recognized as a top influential woman in technology.

Pictured is Shannon Gregg. Submitted photo.

Alumni Profile

Brittany McDonald, Ph.D., '16 '19

Brittany McDonald, an MBA and Ph.D. in community engagement alumna of Point Park University, was named executive director of Uptown Partners of Pittsburgh.

Pictured is MBA and Ph.D. in community engagement alumna Brittany McDonald, Ph.D. Photo submitted by McDonald.

Students Complete VITA Accounting Course, Discuss Community Impact in Final Presentations

Thursday, April 23, 2020 Point Park University students in the Accounting 295: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance course recently gave presentations through a Zoom conference call about their experiences as VITA volunteers in the Pittsburgh community.

Alumni Profile

Michael Harding '14 '20

Meet Michael Harding, MBA alumnus and Ph.D. in community engagement student who was recently promoted to director of business engagement at Carnegie Mellon University.

Pictured is MBA alumnus and Ph.D. student Michael Harding. Photo submitted by Harding.

TEDx 2019 at Point Park University

Thursday, October 3, 2019 Pittsburgh’s ability to reinvent itself from a manufacturing powerhouse to a world-renowned education, start-up and healthcare center is the inspiration for Aging Gracefully, Point Park University’s second annual TEDx event.

Faculty Q&A: Meet Kendra Ross, Assistant Professor of SAEM

Wednesday, October 2, 2019 Kendra Ross, ABD, is an assistant professor of sports, arts and entertainment management in the Rowland School of Business. Prior to this position, Ross spent 17 years at Universal Music Group, where she most recently served as their director of label process operations. She is an accomplished songwriter, independent recording artist, session vocalist and music producer.

Pictured is SAEM Assistant Professor Kendra Ross. Photo by Emma Federkeil

Students’ Research Work With Project Bee Watch Showcased at Ecological Science of America Conference

Monday, September 16, 2019 At the Ecological Science of America 2019 conference in Louisville, Ky., Environmental Science Professor Matthew Opdyke, Ph.D., presented the work he and his students Paula Ambrose ’20, and Keri Rouse ’14, 19, did with Project Bee Watch, a local citizen project to assess the status of pollinators in the region.

Education, Business and Community Engagement Faculty Member Presents to 200 Kiski Area Teachers and Administrators

Tuesday, September 3, 2019 Mitchel Nickols, Ph.D., part-time faculty member for the School of Education, Rowland School of Business and Department of Community Engagement at Point Park University, recently conducted a professional development session on the topic of implicit bias to more than 200 teachers and administrators in the Kiski Area School District.

Pictured is Point Park Instructor Mitchel Nickols, Ph.D. Photo submitted by Nickols.

Professor Talbott Continues Her Research on Women at Mid-Life Experiencing Eating Disorders

Thursday, August 29, 2019 Building on her research in cultivating care for older women living with eating disorders, Jamesena Talbott, Ph.D., DM, NCC, Point Park University professor of leadership and community engagement, is serving as a research fellow for the Institute for Social Innovation in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Pictured is Jamesena Talbott, Ph.D., DM, NCC.

Alumni Profile

Andrew Duncan '18 '19

Meet Andrew Duncan, a 2018 business management alumna and MBA student, who was hired by Point Park alumna Shannon Gregg '14 as a partner account manager for Cloud Adoption Solutions.

Pictured is business management alumnus and MBA student Andrew Duncan. Photo by Hannah Johnston

Top 10 CNN Hero Honoree, City Housing Authority Official Speaking at 2019 Graduation

Thursday, April 11, 2019 Point Park University will celebrate the annual Hooding and Degree Conferral and Commencement ceremonies Saturday, April 27 at PPG Paints Arena.

A photo from 2018 undergraduate commencement at PPG Paints Arena. Photo | John Altdorfer

Second Annual Graduate Students Conference Centers on Diversity-Related Research in Various Fields of Study

Monday, April 8, 2019 Master and doctoral students studying a wide variety of disciplines — from business, communication, community engagement and education to engineering, environmental studies, health care, psychology and screenwriting — presented their research March 30 at the Second Annual Graduate Students Conference at Point Park University.

Pictured is Ed.D. student Autumn Turk at the 2019 Graduate Students Conference. Photo by Emma Federkeil

Point Park University Freshman and Grandmother Organizes Wigs for Kids Fundraiser as Part of Class Assignment

Wednesday, January 30, 2019 "I needed to create a four-minute film for my screenwriting class and thought why not make a promotional film that an organization could use to increase awareness and donations."

Pictured is Christina Wonnacott. Photo | Nick Koehler

Business, Community Engagement Professor Presents Research

Friday, October 19, 2018 Professor Jamesena Talbott, D.M., presented her research on “Cultivating an Interprofessional Collaborative Ecology of Care” Oct. 9 to faculty in the areas of human development, human and organizational development and clinical psychology at Fielding Graduate University, located in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Pictured is Jamesena Talbott, D.M. Photo by Martha Rial.

Point Park Graduate Programs Instructor Serves as Keynote Speaker at PA Municipal League Summit

Thursday, October 18, 2018 Mitchel Nickols, Ph.D., part-time instructor for the MBA, Ed.D. in leadership and administration and Ph.D. in community engagement programs at Point Park University, was the keynote speaker at the Pennsylvania Municipal League 2018 Annual Summit in Cranberry Township, Pa.

TEDx 2018 at Point Park University

Wednesday, August 22, 2018 Building Bridges — an independently organized TED event — brings together six innovators who will tell their own unique stories of bridge building. Join us from 9 a.m. to noon in the George Rowland White Performance Center, located in Lawrence Hall.

Alumni Profile

Jim Ice, Ed.D.

Keynote speaker Jim Ice, Ed.D., is a trusted adviser to business leaders for more than 30 years. He was a member of the first class of graduates from Point Park's Ed.D. in leadership and administration program.

University Hosts Inaugural Graduate Student Conference with Capacity Crowd

Friday, April 20, 2018 With more than 80 graduate students, faculty and staff in attendance, Point Park University’s inaugural Graduate Student Conference April 14 exceeded expectations — reaching capacity three weeks before the event.

Pictured is a graduate student presenting at the Graduate Student Conference. Photo by Brandy Richey.

Poverty Simulation Event

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 Based on real case management files provided by Circles of Greater Pittsburgh, the event simulated a month in the life of a family seeking basic necessities.

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