2024 Rewind: A Look Back at Highlights from the Year Friday, December 13, 2024
From Point Park University’s acceptance into the NCAA to the inauguration of Chris W. Brussalis as our ninth president, 2024 was an eventful year for the Pioneers. Among the top stories of the year was the study completed by the Urban Land Institute to create a vision for how Point Park will play a vital role in the next renaissance of Downtown Pittsburgh.
We also made news with our enrollment initiatives, including the second year of a $4,000 Visit Scholarship for any junior or senior who visits campus, and by welcoming students from the closed doors of the University of Arts and Pittsburgh Technical College.
As we reviewed milestones for this year, we looked to Point Park’s strategic plan, Pioneer Vision 2030, as our foundation for success as we seek to advance the University in program excellence, student experience and community engagement. Read on to discover a few key highlights of 2024.
Pursuing Program Excellence
Point Park is evolving its program offerings by leveraging its Downtown Pittsburgh campus to provide our students with unique industry experiences and fostering increased cross-collaboration between our nationally recognized Conservatory of Performing Arts and the rest of our schools. This year, the creation of multiple fast-track bachelor's to master's degrees gives our Conservatory students more career options with significant time and money savings.
Here are a few more examples of how Point Park presented new opportunities for students in 2024:
- Point Park University Introduced Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education Certification Pre-K Through 12
- 12 New Full-Time Faculty Joined Point Park University
- School of Education Launched the Inaugural Matt's Maker Space Fellowship in Ireland
- Point Park University's Department of Dance Named One of Best College Programs
- Center for Experiential Narrative Technologies Offers Students Cutting-Edge Training at the Intersection of Technology and Art
- Point Park University Introduced Self-Designed, Low-Residency M.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts
Elevating Student Experience
Point Park is dedicated to nurturing a sense of inclusivity and belonging as well as revitalizing the University community through programming. Our commitment to students both inside and outside of the classroom includes not only meeting their physical, social and mental health needs, but also guiding them into the career of their choice. This year, we celebrated the opening of a brand new space for our Professional Career-Readiness Center.
See how Point Park supports life outside of the classroom and prepares our students for their futures:
- Pioneer Adventure Weekend Gave Students a Respite from Bustling City-Campus Life
- New Wellness Vending Machines Provide Students with Affordable and Convenient Health Items
- Community Garden Planted to Combat Food Insecurity and Provide Free Produce to Students
- U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Thomas Anderson Shared Career Opportunities with Engineering Students
- Community Engagement Alumna Jimyse Brown, Ph.D., is Making History and an Impact at Pittsburgh's Moonshot Museum
- Point Park University Animation Grad Treven Carter '23 Lands Fellowship with DreamWorks
- From Broadway Stage to the Big Screen: Point Park University's Jaquel Spivey '21 Stars in "Mean Girls" and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-Winning Musical "A Strange Loop"
Fostering Community Engagement
Point Park is dedicated to positively impacting our community and collaborating with our neighbors to address societal challenges. We continue to welcome them to our campus and look forward to revitalizing Downtown Pittsburgh together.
Hosting our community at our Downtown Pittsburgh campus helps to build awareness of Point Park’s desire to cultivate and partner with others to share talents, knowledge and resources. Check out a few examples of how we accomplished that this past year:
- Newsapalooza at Point Park University Celebrated the Value of Local Journalism
- Point Park University Hosted Acting Class for Pittsburgh Steelers as Part of Rookie Development Program
- Springboard Danse Relocated International Project to Point Park University
- Creative Writing Camp Offered a Monster Mash-Up of Genre Exploration and Storytelling Skill Building
- High School Students Created Communications Plan for a Real Client at Point Pitch
- Myron Cope High School Awards Returned for Another Year at Point Park University
- School of Communication Created Bob Pompeani Award Will Recognize Best High School Broadcast Show
Of course, there are a ton of annual events we didn't even touch on, such as homecoming, family weekend, Picklesburgh and commencement. There's always a lot going on at Point Park. Follow @PointParkU on social to keep up on what's happening at Point Park in 2025!