Introduction
Governance:
Advisory Bodies:
About This Handbook
This handbook is intended for use by staff members of the University of Pittsburgh, except
for those who are covered by separate policies and procedures in collective
bargaining agreements. Many sections of this handbook summarize more detailed
policies and benefits documents.
See the University Policy Manual, Procedure
Manual, and Standard Practice Instructions (SPI) Manual for the official and
current information.
This handbook is designed as an informational document and does not constitute
or reflect a contract. The information contained herein supersedes all
previously published staff handbooks and is subject to change at the discretion
of the University. University policies and procedures, which may be updated and
approved subsequent to the publication of this document, will take precedence
over the contents of this handbook. To ensure that you have the most current
information, you may contact your supervisor, access current policies and
procedures and this handbook on the Internet at
www.pitt.edu, or call the employee relations
section of the Office of Human Resources at 412-624-4645.
The University values your opinions about your work environment. Please communicate them to
your supervisor or another pertinent administrator.
The University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh was founded as the Pittsburgh Academy in a log cabin in 1787,
11 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It achieved university status
in 1819. During its 1966 session, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania formally
recognized the University of Pittsburgh as an integral part of the system of
higher education in Pennsylvania and designated it a state-related university.
The University amended its charter to reflect this designation and changed its
official name to University of Pittsburgh—of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education.
A state-related, nonsectarian institution, the University receives an annual
appropriation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and income from endowment,
tuition, gifts, grants, sponsored research, clinical activities, and private
sources. The state-related universities—which also include Pennsylvania State
University, Temple University, and Lincoln University—are legal instruments of
the Commonwealth as specified by statute. Each also possesses a separate,
nonprofit corporate charter and is governed by a separate Board of Trustees,
fully accountable for the operation of the institution.
The Pittsburgh campus consists of more than 90 academic, research, and
administrative buildings and residence halls. It is located on a 132-acre site
three miles from the city’s business center and is adjacent to 450 acres of
rolling parks. Nearby are concert halls, museums, theaters, research
institutes, book stores, art galleries, restaurants, churches, and playgrounds.
Other institutions of higher education located nearby include Carlow
University, Carnegie Mellon University, Chatham College, and Duquesne
University. Medical education, research, and patient care come together at the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), which includes UPMC
Presbyterian, UPMC Montefiore, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, the
Eye & Ear Institute, the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, UPMC
St. Margaret, UPMC South Side, UPMC Braddock, UPMC Shadyside, UPMC Passavant,
UPMC Beaver Valley, and several other hospitals. UPMC works closely with the
six schools of the health sciences at the University.
In addition to the Pittsburgh campus, the University has regional campuses in
Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown, and Titusville, Pa.
Board of Trustees
The University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees is responsible for advancing the
purposes of the University; promoting and protecting its independence, academic
freedom, and integrity; and enhancing and preserving its assets for the benefit
of future generations of students and society at large. Trusteeship is a public
trust, and the trustees bear responsibility for the financial and academic
development of the University, for overseeing the management of its resources,
and for ensuring that the University meets its obligations to the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania and to society in general.
The Board of Trustees delegates general administrative, academic, and
management authority to the chancellor and chief executive officer of the
University. The board retains ultimate responsibility for all University
affairs, however, and reserves its authority directly in at least three areas:
selection of a chancellor and chief executive officer; approval of major
institutional policies, particularly those related to the fiduciary
responsibilities of the board; and definition of the mission and goals of the University.
The Board of Trustees is composed of 36 voting members consisting of the
chancellor and chief executive officer; 17 term trustees elected by the board;
six alumni trustees elected by the board, on nominations by the Pitt Alumni
Association Board of Directors; and 12 commonwealth trustees, four each
appointed by the governor, the president pro tempore of the Senate, and
the speaker of the House. There is, in addition, a class of 15 special trustees
elected by the Board of Trustees. They may attend all meetings of the board and
are entitled to exercise all rights, responsibilities, and privileges of
trusteeship, except the right to vote at board meetings. The Board of Trustees
includes the governor of Pennsylvania, the secretary of education, the chief
executive of Allegheny County, and the mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, all
four of whom are nonvoting, ex officio trustees.
Administration
The University of Pittsburgh is an institution of higher learning and research
in which policy is shaped with the involvement of trustees, administrators,
faculty, staff, and students. An environment of collegiality permits
individuals and groups to share information and express views in an open and
responsive manner. Consultation and consensus building are important means for
approaching decisions, especially in academic matters.
The chancellor is the chief academic and administrative officer of the
University. He is responsible to the board as the interpreter of the public
interest and as the representative of the administration, faculty, staff, and
students. The chancellor’s deputies in guiding instruction and research are the
executive vice chancellor, the provost, the senior vice chancellor for the
health sciences, the presidents of the regional campuses, the deans of the
various schools and faculties, the department chairs, and the directors of
University centers and institutes. The chancellor, the provost, the senior vice
chancellor for the health sciences, the deans, and the regional campus
presidents are recruited and selected in accordance with procedures that
involve representative members of the faculty and staff as well as student leaders.
Other principal administrative officers of the University include the executive
vice chancellor, the vice chancellor for student affairs, the vice chancellor
for institutional advancement, general counsel and secretary of the Board of Trustees.
The University Senate
The Senate of the University of Pittsburgh is an official University body for
shared governance. Members include the chancellor, certain administrative
officers and faculty as well as students, staff, and members of the Senate
Council and Senate Standing Committees.
Staff Association Council (SAC)
The Staff Association Council (SAC) is an official University organization for
shared governance composed of elected representatives from classified
University staff not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. SAC
maintains an important communication link between staff members and the
administration and makes recommendations to the University administration on
matters of general University concern, particularly staff-related issues. If
you have a concern or wish to talk to a SAC representative, please call the SAC
office at 412-624-4236. You can also access the SAC home page at
www.pitt.edu/~sac.
Other Organizations
There are a number of organizations and task forces dedicated to advising and/or
advocating a specific issue, e.g., Equipoise/African American issues,
(412-624-4292), and Provost’s Advisory Committee on Women’s Concerns (PACWC),
(412-624-9246).
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