Volume 59 |
Issue 1: August 28, 2026

ICYMI: This summer brought new deans, new digs for Hill District CEC

Thursday, August 27, 2026

By SUSAN JONES

As the Pitt community finishes up the first week of classes for the 2026-27 school year, let’s look back at some of the news you might have missed over the summer.

Hill District CEC ribbon cutting: On Aug. 12, the University marked completion of phase 1 of the revitalization of the historic New Granada Theater and the grand opening of the Pitt Community Engagement Center in the Hill District. Nearly 500 people attended the ceremony, including Chancellor Joan Gabel, Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor and Marimba Milliones, president and CEO of the Hill Community Development Corp., which owns the building.

Dean changes:

  • James “Jimmy” Oñate, an international leader in human movement assessment and injury prevention, has been named dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, effective June 1.

  • Kyaien Connor, director of Pitt’s Center for Race and Social Problems, became dean of the School of Social Work on starting July 15. She replaced Betsy Farmer, who announced in November that she planned to step down from the role she’s held since 2018.

  • Carissa Slotterback departed as dean of the School of Public and International Affairs as of Aug. 3, for a position as dean of Arizona State University’s Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. Economics professor Marla Ripoll was named to serve as interim dean.

New residence hall work: Site preparation work is ongoing for the new nine-story residence hall  that will wrap around the Music Building on Fifth Avenue. So far, activities have included removing trailers from the lot and adding fencing around the site. Enabling work on underground utilities will prepare the site for the future building. Throughout the project, Ruskin Avenue will be restricted to one lane of traffic between Fifth Avenue and the loading dock for Clapp and Langley Halls. Motorists will only be able to travel south from Bigelow Boulevard; the northbound lane from Fifth Avenue will be closed. The Music Building will remain accessible via the North Bellefield Avenue entrance.

Wi-fi upgrade: The legacy Wireless-Pittnet and Pitt Guest Wi-Fi network names were retired on Aug. 12 on the Pittsburgh campus. Faculty, staff and students now connect to PittNet and visitors can use Pitt Guest. This change marks a significant milestone in Pitt Digital's summer network modernization initiative. Over the past several months, the team has:

  • Installed nearly 4,000 new Wi-Fi access points across offices, classrooms and other non-residential areas
  • Upgraded wired network connections
  • Surveyed buildings floor by floor to identify and eliminate coverage gaps

Pitt budget: The Board of Trustees passed a $3.28 billion spending plan in July for the 2026-27 fiscal year. It includes a research base of $1.2 billion; tuition and fee hikes for all students; and a potential 5% reallocation of funds from some responsibility centers to areas that are priorities in the Plan for Pitt. The board also set a 2% performance-based maintenance salary increase and a half percent salary pool for merit, market and equity considerations. Faculty, staff and grad workers represented by the United Steelworkers, which are all negotiating contracts, are not currently eligible for those raises.

State budget: Pennsylvania lawmakers passed and Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a $50.8 billion budget on July 12 that includes $10 million in performance-based funding to be split between Pitt, Penn State and Temple. Pitt is estimated to receive $2.683 million. Pitt’s base funding will remain the same as it has been since 2019 — $151.5 million — along with $3.98 million for rural education outreach.

Provost office changes: April Belback has been promoted to vice provost for student success; Don Elliott has been promoted to senior vice provost for budget and institutional effectiveness; and Enku Gelaye joined the University as senior vice provost for student experience strategy. Read more on Pittwire.

Hemingway’s: In May, Pitt purchased the property that housed Hemingway’s Café for more than 40 years. The property is adjacent to Litchfield Towers on Forbes Avenue, with the street entrance to the Towers ground floor and the Eatery just steps away. A Pitt spokesman said the University “cannot speak to specific plans for the space at this time.”

Counseling Center: Ashlee Wolfgang was named executive director of the University Counseling Center, effective Aug. 12. Wolfgang has trained and worked in university counseling for more than 16 years, including at Bowling Green State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Ohio State University, and, since 2019, here at Pitt. She has served as interim executive director since July 2025. She has a PsyD in counseling psychology from Carlow University, an M.A. in mental health counseling from Bowling Green State University, and a B.A. in psychology from Hiram College. 

Antisemitism report: The University’s Working Group on Antisemitism, which was chartered in late 2024, issued its report in July, along with a University response from the Office of the Chancellor. Read more about the report and responses in the Aug. 3 edition of the University Times.

Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.

 

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