Wood Street Corridor
America250PA student team of Divine Kennedy, Sabrina Tatalias, Kayla Snyder and Brianna Farrand in Village Park. Photo by Point Park student Emma Federkeil.
America250PA Student Team Advances to State Finals
Point Park’s all-female America250PA student team of Brianna Farrand, Divine Kennedy, Kayla Snyder and Sabrina Tatalias developed and presented an integrated marketing campaign for the United States Postal Service that advanced to the Nov. 19 state competition in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. “It’s amazing how talented our students are,” said Steve Tanzilli, J.D., dean of the Rowland School of Business. “We’re proud of the collaboration between our University’s Rowland School of Business and the School of Communication and happy to serve as the host campus for this regional round.” On Nov. 19, Point Park’s team competed against other regional finalist teams across Pennsylvania, who pitched their campaigns to Gov. Wolf and officials from the United States Postal Service. “It’s exciting to see our Point Park team recognized as regional finalists in the statewide Direct Effect Innovation Challenge. Our students developed and presented a cohesive integrated marketing campaign proposal for the America250PA initiative from concept to prototype, showcasing their marketing, design, technology and communication skills. This was experiential learning at its best!” said Dorene Ciletti, Ph.D., associate professor of sales and marketing and the H.J. Heinz Company Endowed Chair in Business Management. Read more...
Blind YouTube Star Molly Burke Inspires Students to Embrace Diversity
YouTube sensation, disability rights activist, author and social media influencer Molly Burke recently spoke to a sold-out crowd on campus at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, as part of the 2019-20 Media Innovators Speaker Series. The event was hosted by the SAEM Club and the Center for Media Innovation, in collaboration with 90.5 WESA, Downtown Community Development Corporation and Herbein + Company, Inc. At four years old, Burke was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare retinal disease that causes a loss of vision. By age five, she was an ambassador for the foundation Fighting Blindness Canada. Today, she is a highly sought-after motivational speaker, with her weekly YouTube videos reaching a worldwide base of nearly two million subscribers. “The Molly Burke event was a huge success for SAEM Club! We are so happy that we were able to partner with the CMI to bring in such an inspiring speaker,” said Christy Martin, a junior sports, arts and entertainment management major and president of the SAEM Club. “Molly was so kind and friendly and I greatly enjoyed working with her. Her story brought tears to every audience member's eyes. We were all left feeling inspired by her story and motivated to embrace what makes us different. The show was sold out and it couldn't have gone any better!” Read more...
New Master of Science Degree in Information Systems and Business Analytics
Point Park is now offering a new Master of Science in information systems and business analytics graduate program to meet the significant demand in the global marketplace for professionals with skill sets focused in science, technology, engineering and math – as well as the local demand among world-renowned tech companies in Pittsburgh such as Google and Uber. The new graduate program, which begins with the fall 2020 enrollment, is a joint venture between the University’s Rowland School of Business and Department of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology and is led by Archish Maharaja, Ed.D., professor of business; Mark Voortman, Ph.D., assistant professor of information technology; and Gregg Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of electrical engineering. “In today's technology-driven world, it is important to gather, process and analyze data. Our Master of Science degree program is designed to teach students highly technical skill sets from three unique disciplines: information systems, business analytics and engineering management. Graduates of this program will be prepared to take their career to next level in those disciplines,” Maharaja said. Read more...
Social Justice Studies Professor Earns Grant from Institute for Human Geography
Robert Ross, Ph.D., associate professor for the Department of Literary Arts and Social Justice and coordinator of the social justice studies program, recently received a grant for $4,977 from the Institute for Human Geography, publisher of the journal Human Geography, to continue his research on the role of American Christians in the South African anti-apartheid movement. Read more...
Former U.S. Ambassador/Alumnus and Middle East Travel Specialist Visit Campus
Former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, senior vice president of the Middle East Institute and Point Park alumnus Gerald Feierstein ‘73, and Islamic culture writer, blogger and award-winning travel specialist Carolyn McIntyre, recently gave engaging presentations at Point Park University on U.S. policy in the Middle East and Yemeni architecture, respectively. Read more...
Singer, Songwriter Andy Grammer Speaks to Students About Passion and Perseverance
During famous singer and songwriter Andy Grammer's recent visit to the Center for Media Innovation, he told Point Park students, "Your purpose on earth is extremely unique and only yours. The idea that you can't do it is just BS." After learning about his upcoming performance at the Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks, Pa., Point Park's Public Relations Director Lou Corsaro invited Grammer to campus to offer career advice to students pursuing performance and entertainment management related careers. Read more...
Cinema Arts Partners with the Sarah Jones Film Student Safety Program
Point Park is just the fourth institution of higher education in the United States to qualify for the Sarah Jones Film Student Safety Program. The program is an initiative from the nonprofit Sarah Jones Film Foundation, which advocates for safe conditions on film sets. The foundation, also known as Safety for Sarah, was created by Richard and Elizabeth Jones to honor the legacy of their daughter, Sarah Jones, a 27-year-old camera assistant who needlessly lost her life February 20, 2014, in an accident on the set of Midnight Rider, a film chronicling the life of musician Greg Allman. It was never completed. “Our students are exposed to every component of filmmaking, and with the kind of hands-on training we do, it is critical that safety is always top of mind,” said Cara Friez, M.F.A., cinema arts chair. “They need to learn how to safely use equipment, but they also have to learn how to create an environment that values the people working for them and around them. That the foundation would accept us into the program is a clear sign we are doing things right.” The program offers safety grants of $2,500 to student filmmakers. The grant supplies funds for such appropriate safety needs as proper permits, off-duty police to direct traffic, safety personnel and more. Read more...
Point Park Hosts Aging Gracefully TEDx Event
Pittsburgh’s ability to reinvent itself from a manufacturing powerhouse to a world-renowned education, start-up and healthcare center was the inspiration for Aging Gracefully, Point Park’s second annual TEDx event, held Oct. 18 on campus. Aging Gracefully features a lineup of six exceptional speakers, including educators, creative thinkers and community activists who have found meaning, growth and fulfillment as their professional and personal lives have evolved.
“Long-time Pittsburghers, and even newcomers, know how hard the city, nonprofit and corporate leaders worked to overcome the collapse of the steel industry and to identify and nurture new ways to keep the region vibrant and growing,” said Heather Starr Fiedler, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Community Engagement. “This TEDx event celebrates that spirit of reinvention, of staying meaningful and continuing to be a vibrant, engaged member of the community.” Read more...
Tax Principals Featured at Women In Industry Event
The Rowland School of Business welcomed to campus tax principals Celeste Suchko, CPA, and Mandy Merchant, CPA, from CliftonLarsonAllen — the eighth largest accountancy firm in the United States — as part of its Women In Industry Speaker Series. Suchko has more than 20 years of public accounting experience focused on closely-held businesses in the construction, real estate and manufacturing industries, while Merchant has 18 years of experience providing auditing and consulting services to state and local government and nonprofit agencies. “It was so inspiring to see and hear from women who were once in my same position. Both speakers discussed the importance of taking risks and finding a career that you love. They also emphasized traveling. This made me realize to always keep these factors in mind when I'm doing anything related to my career field,” explained Prim Green ’19, a broadcast production and media management alumna and MBA graduate assistant. Read more...