Frequently Asked Questions

At Pitt, we're striving to be more transparent, accountable, and accessible to our communities. Questions about our Neighborhood Commitments or the Community Engagement Centers? Find answers by expanding the menus on this page.

Have a question that's not answered on this page? Email cecinfo@pitt.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pitt's Neighborhood Commitments?

Pitt Neighborhood Commitments is a place-based community engagement initiative. Through Neighborhood Commitments, Pitt is working to build stronger communities and a stronger University by committing to long-term partnerships with specific neighborhoods in the city of Pittsburgh.

Which neighborhoods is Pitt committed to?

The University has committed to being a partner with and resource to the neighborhoods of Homewood, the Hill District, Greater Hazelwood, and Oakland through investments in infrastructure, programming, and dedicated staff over the next 15 years or more. By building deep partnerships with these neighborhoods, we can realize powerful mutual benefits: providing students and faculty with high-quality opportunities to learn and research while giving neighborhood residents access to Pitt’s assets and resources.

Who are Community Collaborators?

Community Collaborators power Pitt’s Neighborhood Commitments. They are community leaders, residents, and University faculty and students who share a commitment to the neighborhood and are taking action to put that commitment into practice. Collaborators work together to shape and lead projects that advance community agendas and enrich the University’s teaching and research.

What are Community Engagement Centers (CECs)?

Community Engagement Centers (CECs) are physical facilities that will help Pitt to be a better partner in the community and realize our place-based strategy. CECs create space for neighborhood partners, community-based organizations, and University students and faculty to collaborate and make big things happen together.

How is the CEC different from other community organizations already in this neighborhood? Will the CEC duplicate the work already happening in these communities?

The CEC does not duplicate the programs and services already found in the community. In fact, the CECs are being established to help reduce duplication by intentionally creating more coordination between Pitt’s programs and existing community programming. The activities and programs offered through the CEC are designed to complement and enhance what is already available. For the most part, Pitt isn’t a community service provider like the YMCA, Family Support Center, or neighborhood health clinic. Through the CEC, Pitt partners to support organizations like these on collaborative initiatives.

Why did Pitt choose these specific neighborhoods?

Pitt intentionally chose to make commitments to the neighborhoods of Homewood, the Hill District, and Greater Hazelwood because:

• We have histories in these neighborhoods: Successful and challenging histories. Informed by those histories, this strategy builds on trusting relationships and many lessons learned.
• We are close-by: These neighborhoods are close in proximity to Pitt’s Oakland campus, making it feasible to sustain our involvement and student and faculty participation.
• We can make an impact: Residents of these neighborhoods experience poverty, health disparities, educational opportunity gaps, high unemployment, or other forms of marginalization. It is part of Pitt’s civic purpose to help our neighbors.
• We’ve been invited by community leaders and residents: Community leaders have expressed a desire to work with Pitt and are willing to guide our engagements to ensure they are aligned to community needs and knowledge.
• We’re building on naturally-occurring networks: In each of these neighborhoods, community partners and Pitt representatives had already been working together to make good things happen in the neighborhood. By making this commitment, we will sustain the steady growth of these networks of collaborators.

Will the CECs offer college degrees? Can people take classes there?

The CEC is an outreach and engagement center, but not a place to earn a degree. The CECs are located a short distance from Pitt’s Oakland campus, where the full array of undergraduate and graduate programs are offered. From time to time, workshops or seminars on special topics may be offered, but they are not credit-bearing classes.

Are the CECs ADA accessible?

Yes, the CEC buildings are ADA accessible.

How can the neighborhood residents access the CECs?

CECs are open to the public during regular business hours. Residents can visit the CECs by dropping in or for a scheduled program or event.

How long will the CECs be around?

The CEC will be open for a minimum of 15 years. We’re here for the long haul. 15 years (or more) will allow Pitt to develop strong partnerships and to be well-integrated in the agendas and assets of the community.

Are the CECs only for residents of the particular neighborhoods?

Anyone can access the programs at the CECs. We hope that CEC activities and programs will help to improve the quality of life for residents in Homewood and the Hill District as well as adjacent communities that include, but are not limited to, East Hills, Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington, Uptown, and Wilkinsburg. This same open access will apply to the forthcoming CEC in Greater Hazelwood.

Where can I find a list of Pitt programs that engage with the community?

Check out engagementmap.pitt.edu for a map inventory of Pitt’s community engagement activities in Pittsburgh.

What are the Neighborhood Advisory Councils?

Neighborhood Advisory Councils in Homewood and the Hill District actively shape the ways that the CEC benefits the neighborhood and the community at large. This group of community and faith-based leaders and long-time residents meets every two months to review proposed programs, recommend site locations, refer job candidates, and work together to ensure that a responsive and non-duplicative mixture of programs is offered at the Center.

What will happen in these neighborhoods as a result of the CECs opening their doors?

By opening Community Engagement Centers and investing in a place-based community engagement approach, Pitt hopes to realize a vision of stronger communities and a stronger University. As a result, residents will have access to the resources and opportunities of the University that go beyond enrollment, community leaders will be able to rely on Pitt as a stable, trusted partner in their work, and Pitt students and faculty will have rich learning and research opportunities that widen their perspectives.

I am interested in collaborating with Pitt in a Neighborhood Commitments neighborhood. Who do I contact?

If you’re interested in collaborating with Pitt in Homewood, please contact Vernard Alexander, Director of the CEC in Homewood, at vla19@pitt.edu. If you’re interested in collaborating with Pitt in the Hill District, please contact Kelly Protho, Director of the CEC in the Hill District, at klp137@pitt.edu.

To get involved with other parts of this initiative, please contact Dr. Lina Dostilio, Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Community Affairs at ldd20@pitt.edu or by calling 412-624-7719.