PITTSBURGH — In one of the most important events since its founding as one of the country's oldest women's colleges in 1869, Chatham College today announced that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Education approved its request to operate and rename the institution as Chatham University . The announcement was made jointly by S. Murray Rust III, chair of the Board of Trustees, and Esther L. Barazzone, Ph.D., president. Chatham University will be a coeducational university with a women's undergraduate college at its heart.
The new identity caps a decade of growth in enrollment, programs and infrastructure that has transformed the Pittsburgh institution. Chatham College offered undergraduate degrees to women only until 1994, when the College offered its first graduate program for women and men. Chatham now offers 23 masters level programs and four doctoral level programs, all applied degrees, for women and men. Of Chatham's 1,400 degree-seeking students, more than 800 are graduate students. Based on full-time enrollments alone, Chatham is evenly divided between graduate and undergraduate students.
In addition to offering applied graduate programs, Chatham University will continue to offer undergraduate liberal arts degrees for women through Chatham College for Women, one of the three Colleges that comprise Chatham University. The other Colleges are the College for Graduate Studies, offering master's- and doctoral-level programs for women and men; and the College for Continuing and Professional Studies, which includes the University's online and hybrid degree programs as well as community programs such as the 51-year-old Summer Music and Arts Day Camp.
"After tremendous growth in students and degree programs, with 1,700 students from across the country and around the world, as well as 41 bachelor's degrees, 23 master's degrees and four doctoral degrees, the Board of Trustees and the administration realized that Chatham was truly a university in every aspect but its name," Mr. Rust explained.
The approval by Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak, D.Ed. followed an intensive application process and site review by a team chaired by Sister Francesca Onley, CSFN, Ph.D., president of Holy Family University in Philadelphia. Sister Onley's site review team unanimously recommended to the Commonwealth that Chatham receive university status.
Significant changes since 1992
After Dr. Barazzone was installed as its 15th President in 1992, Chatham embarked on three successive strategic planning initiatives and two capital campaigns that resulted in tremendous enrollment, fiscal and physical growth. By 1999, the budget had doubled, the endowment had reached a new high, and the College began to address deferred maintenance and acquire and build new facilities.
Over the past decade, Chatham raised $75 million and renewed the campus (increasing the square footage on campus by 60%). Chatham also made significant investments in technology, including providing laptop computers to all incoming first year students. Strong partnerships have been established with organizations such as Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Shadyside School of Nursing, and St. Margaret School of Nursing. 300 students are now enrolled in the joint nursing program through Chatham and UPMC's Shadyside and St. Margaret Schools of Nursing. Chatham has established strong ties to the community through its Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy; Center for Women's Entrepreneurship; and the Rachel Carson Institute.
Chatham's accomplishments have been recognized in national publications such as "Remaining the Province of Women," an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education; "Five Boards That Lit a Spark," an article in Trusteeship magazine; and in Michael K. Townsley's (President of the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology) book entitled The Small College Guide to Financial Health: Beating the Odds, which was excerpted in the September 2002 issue of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) magazine. In January 2002 the College was awarded a Greater Expectations, Special Commendation for Distinguished Achievement in Undergraduate Education and Innovation Across the Curriculum by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). In recognition of Chatham's revitalization, Dr. Barazzone was also invited to contribute a chapter to Presidential Essays: Success Stories that Make a Difference at Thirteen Independent Colleges and Universities (USA Group Foundation New Agenda Series, Indianapolis, IN, 2000).
Chatham is an active member of NCAA Division III and will compete in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) beginning fall 2007. The University sponsors seven women's varsity sports including basketball, ice hockey, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball. The University opened its new $18 million Athletic and Fitness Center (AFC) in 2004. The team mascot is the Chatham Cougar.
A new University with a new brand
As part of its move to university status, Chatham also engaged Red House Communications of Pittsburgh to develop a branding campaign that would introduce the Chatham University brand to the Tri-State region and to prospective students around the world, as well as "sub-branding" the three Colleges. After several months of research, interviews and development, Red House Communications developed a multimedia branding campaign centered around a new brand, "We Are You."
"Throughout our research we heard the passion and commitment to Chatham resonate throughout its campus community," said Gloria Blint, Red House president and CEO. "What's more, we heard words like 'intelligent,' 'artistic,' 'confident," 'extraordinary,' 'opinionated,' and 'challenging' used interchangeably when students, faculty, staff or alumnae talked about both the institution and themselves. This became the true spirit behind "We Are You." Chatham University will launch its new campaign immediately in a strategic print, broadcast, outdoor and online campaign.
As Chatham University, the institution will continue to build upon a foundation of academic strength, international impact and dedicated students, faculty and staff.
"Chatham has enjoyed an incredible history and played a significant role as the first women's college in western Pennsylvania," Dr. Barazzone said. "Chatham University and its alumni — especially our future students — will continue to positively impact higher education and the well-being of our region well into the future."
Chatham University, formerly Chatham College, provides its almost 1,700 students — both undergraduate and graduate — with a solid education built upon strong academics, public leadership and global perception. Chatham's graduate programs, continuing education and certification programs provide women and men with advanced education for professional careers. Founded in 1869, the University includes Chatham College for Women; the College of Graduate Studies; and the College for Continuing and Professional Studies. The 35-acre arboretum campus is located on historic Woodland Road in the Shadyside section of Pittsburgh. For more information call 800-837-1290 or visit www.chatham.edu. |
