University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
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| University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (Pitt Johnstown, UPJ) | |
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| Motto: | "Veritas et Virtus" (Truth and Virtue) |
| Established: | 1927 |
| Type: | Public, four-year |
| President: | Dr. Jem Spectar |
| Students: | 2,700 full-time |
| Location: | Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Campus: | Rural, wooded. 650 acres (2.6 km²) |
| Colors: | Blue and Gold |
| Mascot: | Mountain Cat |
| Website: | www.upj.pitt.edu/ |
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, also known as UPJ or Pitt-Johnstown, is a four-year, degree-granting constituent college of the University of Pittsburgh. The university is located in rural Johnstown, Pennsylvania and was founded in 1927 as the first regional campus of a major university in the United States, predating the University of California at Los Angeles by a few months. The school relocated to its current campus in 1970.
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[edit] History
UPJ was founded in 1927 as a two-year college of the University of Pittsburgh. For almost 20 years it held classes in the Johnstown High School building in the Kernville section of downtown Johnstown. After World War II, the Johnstown College moved to the Moxham section of town where the number of courses and students increased. In the early 1960s, community leaders worked with the University of Pittsburgh to build a new campus in Richland Township, a Johnstown suburb. The new campus opened in 1967 with two classroom buildings, five dormitories, and a student union. Degree-granting status was awarded to UPJ by the University of Pittsburgh in 1970. The campus has grown significantly since that time, with five academic buildings, a library, an expanded student union, a sports and aquatic center, a conference center, a chapel, a performing arts center, and a large cluster of dormitories, lodges, townhouse apartments and other student residence housing. UPJ now offers over 40 baccalaureate and associate degree programs.
[edit] Academics
UPJ operates on a modified trimester calendar. The standard school year includes a 15-week fall term (September to mid-December) and a 15-week spring term (January to mid-April). Optional summer term offerings from 5-week to 15-week sessions allow students to accelerate their degrees.
Accreditation The University of Pittsburgh, including UPJ and other regional campuses, is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and by the Commission on Higher Education. The engineering technology programs at Johnstown are accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc., 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202. Telephone: 410-347-7700. Web site: www.abet.org.
Degrees Offered UPJ offers a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in more than 40 areas. Additionally, UPJ offers several associate degrees in the allied health area.
Description of the College The Johnstown campus is one of the East's most attractive campus settings; the college occupies 650 acres (2.6 km²) in a suburban, wooded setting. This makes UPJ, physically, the third largest campus in Pennsylvania. It is located eight miles (13 km) outside Johnstown, Pennsylvania (metropolitan population of 110,000); 70 miles (110 km) east of Pittsburgh; and 175 miles (282 km) north of Washington, D.C.
The college offers more than 40 academic majors, with minors available in most of the major fields, as well as in other areas of arts and sciences. The average class size is 25–30, and the student to teacher ratio is 19:1. The college is strictly undergraduate, and all courses are taught by college faculty. The 149 faculty members have outstanding credentials and remain active professionally.
The 32 campus buildings include resident housing, classroom buildings, a performing arts center, sports center, library, student union, and outdoor recreation areas. Other features include a 40 acre nature preserve, more than 15 intramural activities, more than 70 student organizations, and NCAA Division II men’s and women’s sports.
[edit] Facilities and Resources
The campus has five academic/administrative buildings: Biddle Hall, Krebs Hall, Engineering and Science Building, Blackington Administrative Classroom Building, and the Living/Learning Center. Each building contains classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, and/or administrative offices. Additional facilities include a music room, greenhouse, computer rooms, auditoriums, an audio-visual classroom, and conference rooms.
Also available to students is the advanced technology classroom (ATC) in Biddle Hall. The room is designed for electronic distance learning. It is equipped with satellite down-link programming, three full-motion cameras, data ports, video monitors, and much more. It is currently one of the most sophisticated ATCs in operation at any college or university in Pennsylvania.
The Owen Library holds more than 146,086 bound volumes, 15,358 titles on microfilm, 625 periodical subscriptions, approximately 130 online subscription databases, and more than 4,500 electronic journals. All students have additional access to many additional libraries on Pitt’s other campuses.
Campus-wide computing labs for student use are available. Labs primarily contain Windows XP-based PCs, along with several Macintosh computers, application servers, laser printers, scanners, and advanced graphics devices. The labs can be used to work with software, such as word processing and programming languages, or to access network services, such as online card catalogs, electronic mail, and the Internet. There are more than 150 computers available on campus for student use.
The Student Union, located in the middle of campus, houses the Student Life Office, Health Services, Residence Services, Career Services, Campus Ministry, and the Bookstore/convenience store. Also included are a full-service mail room, a 400-person cafeteria, a fast food shop, and a nonalcoholic pub. The union also holds a game room, information desk, and many organizational offices.
The Living/Learning Center, completed in 1994, is a 400-person residence unit, which includes a full-circuit weight training room, sauna, an aerobics room, and a smaller student cafeteria. The Living/Learning Center is not only used as a residence but also as a conference center throughout the year. With several meeting rooms, the facility can accommodate groups of 20–250 people.
In addition to the residence units in the Living/Learning Center, the campus offers the choice of single-sex and coeducational housing. The campus has six residence halls, seven small-group lodges, 46 townhouse-style apartment units, and an apartment complex.
The Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center (PPAC) is a 42,000-square-foot (3,900 m²) multipurpose facility; it was completed in 1991. It contains a 1,000-seat concert hall, a 200-seat black box theater, and supporting operational spaces. Performances include UPJ Department of Theatre Arts shows and Broadway productions. The PPAC is also home to the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Johnstown. The art gallery displays at least eight exhibitions a year as well as work produced by UPJ students.
The J. Irving Whalley Memorial Chapel was constructed in 1991 as well. It is nondenominational and seats 250 people. Weekly Catholic mass and Protestant services are held, as well as personal conferences.
The Sports Center and Zamias Aquatic Center provide recreational facilities for more than 15 intramural sports, as well as intercollegiate activities. The building houses a 25-yard (23 m) indoor swimming pool, a workout room with free weights, an aerobic/dance studio, and locker rooms with showers.
[edit] Special Programs
Special opportunities include internships, the President’s Scholars program, independent and directed studies, a self-designed major, the Freshman Seminar Series, an International Studies Certificate, and the Academic Support Center.
[edit] Statement of Academic Purpose
The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown strives for academic integrity by employing skilled and professional faculty to ensure that a valuable and marketable education is adopted by all students.
