Dear Campus Community,
I hope the Fall Term started well for you and yours, and that, as always, you are making the best of it, embracing and enjoying our world – despite the trials and tribulations of our testing times. I am delighted to share this Fall 2026 Campus newsletter updating you about initiatives and activities, and experiences related to our Strategic Plan’s focus on the success of our People, Programs, and Place, as well as the furtherance of our Public Purpose, to wit, cultivating Real World Ready graduates and helping to fuel regional economic development, catalyzing social mobility and contributing to improvements in the quality of life of people in our region.
The news about UPJ’s performance and outcomes continues to be glowing – something to give good cheer and a pep in our stride – as we navigate a tough higher ed landscape riven by unrelenting enrollment challenges and related budget woes. Besides being ranked as a US News 10 Regional Public College in the North, UPJ is also designated as one of the “great” “A+ schools” providing access and opportunity for all students (2026), alongside major national institutions such as Michigan State University, the University of Kentucky, and West Virginia University. Our Nursing program is ranked in the top 10 in the nation, and our nursing graduates serve in top-tier regional hospitals and beyond. A US News top 5 Best College for Veterans in the North, UPJ is a proud veteran-friendly institution with a one-of-a-kind Heroes Memorial, where campus and community members recently gathered for a solemn commemoration of September 11, 2001.
Furthermore, UPJ is also nationally recognized as a high-access, high-earning institution that, incidentally, outperforms most AAU institutions in that combined category. UPJ boasts a higher-than-average placement rate of 96%, with relatively higher alumni earnings after graduation exceeding $73,000, exceeding the national NACE average by nearly $3,000 and no doubt contributing to our ranking as a top school for social mobility.
Thus, we were not surprised when UPJ was recently named to the inaugural Best Colleges for Rural America list from Washington Monthly, a new ranking that recognizes institutions powering upward mobility in rural America. UPJ earned the No. 13 spot in the nationwide survey and was one of only two Pennsylvania schools to place in the top 50. The ranking weighs measures such as the share of Pell Grant recipients an institution serves, degrees awarded in in-demand rural fields, and affordability — but one figure stands out. Four years after graduation, our alumni earn roughly $73,700 a year, about $12,500 more than their backgrounds would predict, a powerful measure of the doors a UPJ degree opens. As Washington Monthly put it, rural colleges like ours are “load-bearing pillars of local tax bases” — vital to the economic and civic life of the communities they serve. And there’s more UPJ joins our colleagues in the Pitt System in sharing and celebrating Pitt’s designation as a “New Ivy” by Forbes Magazine.
Enrollment & Budget Challenges
At the beginning of this term, we welcomed 604 new and transfer students into our community, a number that matched last year’s entering class, marking the two largest classes over the past six years. This accomplishment, made possible by our hardworking Admissions Team, is a reason to celebrate, coming at a time when enrollment woes continue to plague higher education. Their sustained efforts ensured that our pipeline showed strong positive momentum relative to the prior year, with applications up as much as 6% over the prior year, and overall deposits exceeding all Pitt regional campuses in total deposits this cycle. Program-level demand was especially strong in Nursing (deposits up 28%, applications up 25% to 1,203) and Natural Sciences (deposits up 15.5%, pre-med applications nearly doubling), while Engineering held steady with its second consecutive year above 120 deposits. Thanks to these successes, overall enrollment remains stable at approximately 1825 FTE students, an ambitious target we established about three years ago as part of our strategic planning for a more challenging future.
As we begin another enrollment drive, we are mindful of the challenges and the impact of the so-called demographic cliff. At the same time, we are energized by the potential impact of the newly launched access and affordability initiative launched by the University of Pittsburgh. Beginning this fall, the new Pitt Regional Campus Tuition Pledge offers eligible Pennsylvania students a last-dollar $0-tuition path — a potent new tool for access and recruitment, particularly given the large percentage of households in our region that fall below the $75,000 AGI eligibility threshold.
The picture is certainly not all rosy. Despite the strength in the new first-year classes for two years in a row, we are still far from our peak enrollment levels around 2800 students. The resulting pressure on our budgets is substantial, as costs and expenses have continued to grow while tuition revenue has declined. Active efforts to eliminate the ensuing structural deficit through rigorous fiscal management are underway, and if we continue to exercise fiscal prudence, we will achieve longer-term budget stability e over the next couple of years.
Welcome Class of 2030!
As always, UPJ rolled out a warm welcome mat for the Class of 2030 people beginning on move-in day, where student leaders and staff members literally help families haul and deliver their students’ belongings into their residence halls. Orientation activities on August 20-22 were a great success, including signature events such as the NSTO Kick-off featuring Judson Laipply, a yard game night, fire pits, and a Casino, Mountain Cat Pride Night. The move-in momentum continued into “Weeks of Warm Welcome - UPJ-WWW,” a full slate of campus traditions running from Pizza with Professors and the Majors & Minors Fair to the class trip to Cedar Point. Quite clearly, it was clear that despite our reputation for studiousness, there is plenty of fun and games to be had on the UPJ Campus – what with all the range of student activities, clubs and Greek Life organizations, including the newly introduced slate of clubs!
To be sure, welcome week was not all fun and games. Socializing new students into our university is also a solemn activity exemplified by the Freshman Convocation, where faculty participating faculty and guests welcomed and introduced students into our community of scholars, practitioners, and professionals. This year, the attendees heard calls to get involved from new Student Government Association President Alijah Gibson and UPJ leadership. In my address students, I emphasized five interconnected themes: (1) the centrality of reflecting on purpose as a guiding principle (2) the power of potential; (3) the role - and proven record - of UPJ professors (and staff) in helping students of promise and potential develop a plan and program to succeed; (4) the importance of participating and persisting (often against the odds) in the journey to attain personal and professional success; and (5) the duty to balance the pursuit of private interest and personal profit with investment in public good.
Kudos to Our Faculty!
The impressive record of accomplishments of UPJ faculty scholars and practitioners continues to be a great source of pride. Our faculty’s commitment to up-close-and-personal teaching, mentorship, and advising is the nucleus of the UPJ experience. Evidence of such impactful engagement includes signature experiences such as UPJ-SPACE, Teaching Showcase/Portfolio Event in the Murtha Center, and the annual Concrete Canoe competition and the Business Showcase event led by Prof. DeDianna in Blackington. Through leading-edge research, many UPJ faculty are expanding the frontiers of knowledge, discovery, and scholarship in their fields. Going even further, Dr, Jill Henning and her colleagues (Drs. Nigam, Tracey and Bonachea) developed a product to prevent tick-borne illness through the transformational, prize-winning, and patent-securing B.I.T.E product commercialization initiative. Equally impressive, they were able to include several undergraduates in the landmark project. Other faculty are creating meaningful practical experiences for their students, including some culminating in certifications that pave the way to good-paying jobs. Meanwhile, Dr. Maryl McGinley, in her capacity as President of the Pennsylvania Communication Association, co-chaired their 86th Annual Conference on Campus (Sept. 18–19) – an event that drew participants from 30 universities across the U.S. and beyond.
The up-close-personal attentiveness of faculty is increasingly reflected in the rankings and assessments of student learning and engagement. The strength of our Campus life programs is also reflected in numerous rankings and assessments. The most recent National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) reveals students are connecting with their professors more than ever: nearly two-thirds now say they’ve had meaningful conversations with faculty about their careers, up from just over four in ten a year ago, and our broader measures of student-faculty interaction and effective teaching both climbed notably. Roughly three in four students now feel well supported in their academic success, up from about two-thirds, and participation in civic and social programming jumped from about a quarter of students to two in five. Bravo!
A special kudos to faculty in the engineering who worked assiduously and successfully to attain their program reaccreditations. ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission reaffirmed accreditation for all five of our engineering programs following a comprehensive site visit: Chemical, Civil, and Mechanical Engineering are now accredited through September 30, 2032, and Computer and Electrical Engineering through September 30, 2028. Likewise, a special shout-out to Respiratory Care Director Wendy Smith and her colleagues who secured renewed reaccreditation of the Respiratory Care Program!
In Appreciation of Our Staff
Equally central to our success is the great work our dedicated staff is performing. From the Facilities Team, whose work ensures our premises are safe and suitable for learning and learning to the Student Affairs Team that deals with wide-ranging issues ranging from housing and dining to various programming initiatives to enhance student wellbeing, satisfaction, and connectedness, one cannot help but be filled with gratitude and pride.
Thanks to the Student Affairs Leadership Team, campus clubs and organizations such as our Programming Board are well supported as it runs events such as the annual “Nerdology” trivia night, Free Ticket Friday, the annual Leadership Summit and the like. The diligent efforts of our Student Affairs Team are being noticed and felt not just on Campus but well beyond, at a national level no less. For example, our own Heather Hall, Director of Campus Activities and Engagement, was named the inaugural Fraternity Sorority Advisor of the Year by the national headquarters of both the Acacia Fraternity and Sigma Tau Gamma. Among other things, they commended her leadership of fraternity and sorority life on the Campus. With such leadership in place, it is hardly surprising that several individuals and chapters from our Fraternity and Sorority Life Community also recently received national and international honors.
Furthermore, student satisfaction with dining reached its highest level in five years – reflecting undoubtedly award-winning Director Lacey Gearhardt’s emphasis on customer satisfaction and responsiveness to students' concerns. Our Office of Health and Counseling Services was there when it mattered, handling more than 770 appointments, two dozen crisis responses, and nearly fifty Care Reports over the year — a reflection of both real student need and the strength of our response. Not every number moved the right way, and we’re paying attention. Most concerning, students’ sense of social involvement slipped a few points, as did their sense of well-being support. We are developing a plan to improve in this area in the years ahead.
A Shoutout to Mountain Cat Athletics
As always, Mountain Cat Athletics has so many highlights to applaud and celebrate: Men's Wrestling sent six athletes to the NCAA Division II National Championships, where several distinguished themselves! Women's Wrestling – in the inaugural year - produced a national qualifier and All-American (Makayla Paclib); teammate Emma Hoppe won an individual title at the 2026 Pennsylvania Collegiate Women's Championships. Baseball rose to 10th place regionally, and the men's indoor track relay team placed 7th nationally. Men's and women's swimming programs — brand new this year — sent their first-ever competitors to the PSAC Championships. Our men's golf team captured the Appalachian Collegiate title, with David Razinskas earning medalist honors!. In addition to the impact on the fields of competition, Mountain Cat Athletics has also had a very positive impact on student recruitment.
In that regard, there is so much to be proud of and hopeful about, despite the challenges we face.
Facilities & Infrastructure
A Key challenge in our Campus Strategic Plan involved tackling a backlog of deferred maintenance issues, especially those associated with HVAC and critical systems, including roof and boiler maintenance. To that end, I am pleased to share that recently completed projects include the $1.6 million Living-Learning Center chiller and cooling tower replacement. Other ongoing priority projects include boiler and electrical work at the Aquatic and Sports Centers; boiler maintenance in Blackington Hall and HVAC controls in Biddle Hall and the Student Union.
Over the past summer, we also addressed a key element of our goal of investing in Campus infrastructure, which enjoined us to “execute Student Union upgrades, renovation and construction” including more recreational spaces or game rooms. Over the past year, we initiated and completed a $3.1 million renovation of our dining facilities, including the main Dining Hall, The Mountain Cat Club, and Food Court. In addition, we invested $650,000 to design and construct a new E-sports facility, expected to be upon completion, among the finest of its kind in the state, a fitting facility for one of the best teams in the entire East Coast! WE also completed renovation of the Athletics Weight Room.
Despite such progress, deferred maintenance remains a pressing challenge, with lots of unfinished business, including better paving of roadways and parking lots, improving accessibility, and renewing aging academic technology, all of which remain top priorities.
Other initiatives included paving and patching around Blackington Hall, a completed project that has undoubtedly made the entrance used by many of our prospective students and their families more welcoming and inviting!
Finally, a key element of our strategic plan commitment to enhancing our “Place” involves developing and implementing initiatives to ensure that UPJ remains a safe and secure campus. Over the past few months, we have also made very significant improvements in campus lighting and security camera installation in urgent areas requested by the students.
Community
We continue to see progress in the development of our FutureReady Center in the Jupiter Building downtown. Last April, we explored the development and ‘testing’ of a drone operation certification program there that could train students for bridge and railroad inspections. With funding received from the federal level as well as grants secured through our partners, we plan to acquire two sophisticated AI drones from Horizon Aerobotics. If anticipated funding is secured and work commences as planned, FutureReady Center will serve as a hub for broader workforce development across our region — including for Johnstown-area high school students.
UPJ's also served as the host for “AI in the Alleghenies” – a convening of regional leaders in education, healthcare, and business to explore AI's impact across industries. Our commitment to civic education also grew this year. In April, in a year with special resonance given America's 250th anniversary, we hosted a special Democracy Bowl. The event featured students from ten regional school districts for the annual Civics Fair.
UPJ Social Science Division collaborated with Senator Dush to co-host an End Human Trafficking Conference on campus, work that was later honored with a Pennsylvania Senate Recognition of Service.
Last April, UPJ hosted its fourth annual Naturalization Ceremony at the Murtha Center, welcoming new American citizens from around the world to campus.
We are also developing a new food insecurity initiative in partnership with the United Way of the Southern Alleghenies, building on our existing Food Pantry work with Chartwells. In total, more than 2,000 community members visited our campus this year through these and other outreach efforts — a testament to how central UPJ has become to civic life in this region.
UPJ hosted the NCAA Division II Golf Regionals at Sunnehanna Country Club in May — bringing 20 teams and roughly 120 competitors to Johnstown for an event with an estimated $100,000-plus economic impact on the community.
Alumni & Development
Our roughly 23,000 alumni worldwide remain among UPJ's greatest assets, and their generosity continues to build our institutional foundation for the future. As of the close of the last fiscal year, our endowment stood at $72,796,583.70 — an increase of $3,590,859.02, or 5.19%, over the prior year, and a fivefold increase over the past two decades. Working in partnership with the Development Office and the Alumni Association, helped meet “Century Challenge” goal during Pitt Day of Giving, identifying 100 new donors who gave at least $100.WE are grateful for their efforts, which will be critical as we embark on the new Capital Campaign.
As we approach our Centennial in 2027, work is underway to lay the groundwork for a next Comprehensive Campaign. We also continue to hold various alumni gatherings, get-togethers with prospects as we intensify friend-making and spirit -raising. The Alumni Association has also played a significant role in supporting several Campus events and connecting with Alumni Parents of UPJ students. Meanwhile, several athletics alumni were feted at the 20th Athletics Hall of Fame induction on April 25, where several new inductees, including the historic AIAW Final Four Women's Basketball Team, joined the pantheon of champions!
Transitions
As is always the case as we transition from the end to the beginning of another academic year, we have seen a number of faculty and staff transitions, while also welcoming new arrivals to our community. We are immensely grateful to all our faculty and staff colleagues whose excellence and dedicated commitment to service built the incredible institution we have today.
Earlier this term, we were thrilled to welcome several new faculty who have chosen to make this wonderful place their home in the next phase of their professional and personal journeys. We warmly and enthusiastically welcome them and wish them the very best in this new phase of their lives.
Likewise, we are thankful for the new staff who made the decision to join us. We hope you too will experience a fulfilling and impactful career!
In Memoriam
We also express our deepest condolences to UPJ members of the UPJ family who passed away and express our heartfelt gratitude for their service to the University.
Conclusion
It feels like not so long ago that we said goodbye to the Class of 2026, about 350 strong, walking down the aisle during Commencement on May 2, 2026. Recall that during that event we were all inspired by the life story of our Commencement speaker, Dr. Miguel Cardona, the 12th United States Secretary of Education, who recounted his journey from first-generation student to national leadership. As I watched the students process to collect their diplomas. Nearly six in ten earned Latin honors: 16% graduated summa cum laude, 21% magna cum laude, and 22% cum laude, a testament to both the caliber of our students and the rigor of a UPJ education. I could only wonder what great things lay ahead for them and even how they too would surely rise to unexpected echelons of impact, perhaps even much greater than the graduation speaker. Such is the miracle of education, the process that converts potential and promise to professional and personal success in a special place like UPJ.
As I reflect over the past few weeks, I am quite simply imbued with a proforund sense of all you are able to accomplish, often agains the odds, and deeply grateful to UPJ people who always strive to go beyond the highest expectations. So much over the past few months has quite simply filled with pride, and even awe! In April 2025, I could not believe my eyes as our own UPJ as BITE team announced they had founded Adventure Bioscience to move their patented product to market – a first for UPJ. Please remember UPJ when you launch the IPO! Over the summer, I recall watching with great astonishment our engineering teams build a steel bridge at breakneck speed in the John R. Musulin Building; and, later in the Quemahoning Creek as they raced concrete canoes of all things! Last but not least, I recall cheering the UPJ Dance Ensemble during a memorable performance of the cancan, that transported viewers to the fabled Moulin Rouge of Montmartre! What a wonderful world… crooned the great Louis Armstrong.
Thank you all for everything you do for the success of UPJ. Your talents, energy, dedication, and love for this place are a great blessing indeed. On the eve of our 100th anniversary, I look forward to engaging with all of you — including our alumni and friends around the world — as we prepare to celebrate a century of UPJ’s impact and accomplishments since 1927, and to begin our next century as a college exceptionally proficient at preparing students for success in the real world – with topnotch ratings, to boot.
Embrace & Enjoy Our World!
Jem Spectar