Point Park University is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Formerly known as Point Park College, the school name was revised in 2004 to reflect the number of graduate programs being offered.

History

Beginnings

The university began in 1933 as a one-room business school called Business Training College with an initial enrollment of 50 students, under the direction of

Dorothy Finkelhor Dorothy Cimberg Finkelhor (February 22, 1902 – July 19, 1988) was an American academic, teacher, and speaker. She was the founder and first president of Point Park College in Pittsburgh. Dorothy Cimberg was born in New York City’s Lower East Si ...

, a New York native, and her husband,

L. Herbert Finkelhor Dorothy Cimberg Finkelhor (February 22, 1902 – July 19, 1988) was an American academic, teacher, and speaker. She was the founder and first president of Point Park College in Pittsburgh. Dorothy Cimberg was born in New York City’s Lower East Si ...

. At the time, it was notable for a woman to found such an institution. Finkelhor provided her students with business and

secretarial A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

skills. At the same time, she served in multiple roles as teacher, the dean of women, social chairman, janitor, telephone operator, admissions and finance director, and registrar.

Becoming a college

By 1960, the business school had grown to nearly 880 students and moved to the university's current academic center, Academic Hall, on Wood Street in central

Downtown Pittsburgh Downtown Pittsburgh, colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle, and officially the Central Business District, is the urban downtown center of Pittsburgh. It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose ...

. The Finkelhors' small secretarial school became Point Park Junior College, named for the city's historic

Point State Park Point State Park (locally known as The Point) is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River. Built on land acqu ...

. The junior college added two-year programs in

engineering technology An engineering technologist is a professional trained in certain aspects of development and implementation of a respective area of technology. Engineering technology education is even more applied and less theoretical than engineering education ...

, education and journalism. It also acquired performing arts space at The Pittsburgh Playhouse in the

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

neighborhood. Five years later, the college was granted four-year status, officially becoming Point Park College. Dance and theatre programs were introduced. These programs laid the groundwork for Point Park's current Conservatory of Performing Arts. Thirty-four years after forming the college, Dorothy Finkelhor retired in 1967. The school's reins remained within the family as son-in-law Arthur M. Blum assumed the presidency. Blum purchased the Sherwyn Hotel, a 20-story building across from Academic Hall, which became

David L. Lawrence David Leo Lawrence (June 18, 1889 – November 21, 1966) was an American politician who served as the 37th governor of Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1963. The first Catholic elected as governor, Lawrence is the only mayor of Pittsburgh to have ...

Hall. The hall currently contains most of the school's social and entertaining facilities, as well as classrooms, offices and residential facilities. Blum's Lawrence Hall investment continues to benefit the school. Blum also established a campus in

Lugano, Switzerland Lugano (, , ; lmo, label= Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Lugano has a populati ...

. A gift from Lester Hamburg brought the school a conference center in Portersville, Pennsylvania. In the early 1970s, John V. Hopkins succeeded Blum, and in time enrollment grew beyond 1,000 students. Eventually, the school introduced its first postgraduate degree, a master's degree in journalism and

mass communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as its technologies are used for the dissemination o ...

. J. Matthew Simon became as the college's next president in 1986, overseeing the acquisition of a new library, program growth and the school's largest endowment. Simon retired in 2007, having taught at Point Park as a professor in the Department of Natural Sciences and Engineering Technology after his tenure as president. A crisis came with the election of James Hunter as president in the mid-1990s. Hunter, Point Park's most controversial leader, served for a little over a year but managed to garner outcry for an admissions scandal and a breakdown of communication within the school. At the same time, growth remained slow in the city, and Pittsburgh's economy still had not recovered from the collapse of the steel industry. The college's finances suffered, and Point Park again neared bankruptcy. Negotiations began with

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

to sell what remained of Point Park College to the larger school. Hunter resigned amidst the melee, and Katherine Henderson was appointed president by the

board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

soon after.

Growth and change

Henderson implemented a strategic plan to revive the college. Plans to sell the school were abandoned as Henderson began another procedural overhaul. Henderson's tenure became the most successful for Point Park. During the late 1990s, budget woes disintegrated as enrollment rose to over 3,000 students and the endowment grew by over 200 percent. Point Park finished major renovations of its existing buildings soon after the turn of the century. By 2004, the college was officially renamed Point Park University and the administration began an aggressive $1 million branding campaign to attract more enrollment. Two years later, Henderson retired while on a self-imposed sabbatical. The board of trustees officially named Paul Hennigan as Henderson's permanent successor at the beginning of the 2006 fall term. Hennigan has continued the process of creating a new strategic plan. As part of the plan, the university has purchased several

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

properties for development. Point Park is also poised to become a key player in the city's efforts for Downtown revitalization, owning properties along the coveted Fifth and Forbes corridor. A $16 million state-of-the-art dance complex opened in 2007. The complex includes five rehearsal and performance studios, and recently received Gold LEED certification from the

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and op ...

. Located in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh, the complex is home to the George Rowland White Performance Studio, a 188-seat convertible performance space. Point Park purchased the building occupied by the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh on the Boulevard of the Allies in the spring of 2008. In September 2010, the newly renovated former YMCA building reopened as the interim Student Center with exercise and fitness facilities and equipment, a gymnasium, meeting space and much more. In 2015, the university began creating a "New Academic Village" that will make the school, and downtown, a vibrant area for students. With the introduction of this initiative, Point Park has evolved into one of the largest investors in Downtown Pittsburgh real estate development. The following year, Point Park University added a new center for journalism at the former location of Nathan's Famous hot dogs. In the Fall of 2018, a coffee shop opened on campus and named Point Perk in a student naming contest. This new coffee shop came after the

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

that was previously on campus closed its doors in 2017. While the new coffee shop is not an official corporate Starbucks, it is considered a "We Proudly Brew" location, giving campus food provider CulinArt full control over menu items while still serving Starbucks beverages.

Academics

Point Park University offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and is divided into five schools: School of Arts & Sciences, School of Business, School of Communication, School of Education, and Conservatory of Performing Arts.

Campus

Point Park is situated about half a mile from

, the university's namesake, in the city's Golden Triangle. The school is in the midst of the business district situated near PPG Place, one of the skyline's most recognizable buildings, and the brand new LEED Platinum Certified headquarters of

PNC Financial Services The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (stylized as PNC) is an American bank holding company and financial services corporation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its banking subsidiary, PNC Bank, operates in 27 U.S. state, states and the D ...

. The physical campus is mostly vertical, with buildings scattered intermittently among non-school structures. Point Park also owns the

Pittsburgh Playhouse Pittsburgh Playhouse is Point Park University's performing arts center located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses three performance spaces and is home to The Rep, Point Park's resident professional theatre company, as well as three student com ...

in the

neighborhood, but has replaced it with a new complex in downtown Pittsburgh; demolition of Oakland's Pittsburgh Playhouse was scheduled to start in June 2019. Since the campus has not been contiguous, the school used the phrase "Pittsburgh is our campus" in its literature. Because of its Downtown locale, the school is within walking distance of the Cultural District and the city's sports facilities,

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore (Pittsburgh), North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, ...

PPG Paints Arena PPG Paints Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Pittsburgh, that serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). It previously was the home of the Pittsburgh Power of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2 ...

, and

Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panth ...

. It is also close to Pittsburgh's major nightlife areas on the

Southside Southside or South Side may refer to: Places Australia * Southside, Queensland, a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region Canada * South Side, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the St. George's Bay area on the southwest coast of New ...

, in

Station Square Station Square is a indoor and outdoor shopping and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States across the Monongahela River from the Golden Triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. Station S ...

, and in the Strip District. Nearly 1,000 full-time undergraduate students live on campus. The majority of Point Park students commute to campus. With 15 existing buildings and other properties that run from the Monongahela River to Forbes Avenue, the university has one of the largest footprints in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Department of Public Safety

The Campus is covered by the Point Park University Department of Public Safety, a

campus police Campus police or university police in the United States and Canada are sworn police or peace officers employed by a college or university to protect that private property of the campus and surrounding areas and the people who live, work, and v ...

agency which provides patrol and

crime prevention Crime prevention is the attempt to reduce and deter crime and criminals. It is applied specifically to efforts made by governments to reduce crime, enforce the law, and maintain criminal justice. Studies Criminologists, commissions, and research b ...

services to the university. Point Park University was cited in 2017 as having the highest campus crime rate per student in Pittsburgh, exceeding that of the far larger

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

. The department, and in particular the Police Division, have been recognized for innovation in campus law enforcement, such becoming the first

agency in Pennsylvania to issue body-worn cameras to officers, and the creation of an anonymous tip app. The executive of the Point Park University Department of Public Safety is the Assistant Vice President of Public Safety and

Chief of Police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

, currently Jeff Besong, and is appointed by Point Park University. The department consists of two divisions: The Police Division provides patrol and crime scene interaction, while the Public Safety Division provides dispatch and security monitoring services. The Police Division was established in 2011 with five officers, and was initially limited to bike and foot patrol, and became accredited by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association in March 2013.

Student life

Student government

The Student Government Association (SGA), formerly known as the United Student Government (USG) is the representative student

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

of Point Park University. SGA is formed by two entities, the Executive Cabinet and the Legislative Body.

WPPJ

WPPJ (670 AM) is Point Park University's

campus radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produce ...

station. This unlicensed carrier-current station was established in 1967 and is known as "The Voice of Point Park". It is a co-curricular activity for students with an interest in radio, news, sports, contemporary/popular music, media sales and promotions. WPPJ also serves as a training facility for students of any major who desire a career in professional broadcasting. The station is an open-format college radio station, playing primarily

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

and hip-hop, with a fair number of sports and

talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

shows. The music department charts independent artists with

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

Athletics

The Point Park athletic teams are called the Pioneers. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the

River States Conference The River States Conference (RSC), formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), is a List of college athletic conferences in the United States, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of I ...

(RSC; formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) until after the 2015–16 school year) since the 2012–13 academic year. The Pioneers previously competed in the defunct

American Mideast Conference The American Mideast Conference (AMC) was an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that included eight member institutions in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. Founded in 1949, it was known as the Mid- ...

from 1999–2000 to 2011–12 (when the conference dissolved). Point Park competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include competitive cheer, competitive dance and eSports. Baseball is the dominant sport of the university, bringing home the most championships.

Pioneers logo

The Point Park Pioneers logo prominently displays the school name as well as the nickname for the sports teams – Pioneers. A central figure is the bison, which has long been a mascot for the school. The bison was first used as a school mascot in the 1967–68 school year, the first year of intercollegiate competition versus four-year institutions. The bison became a mascot for the school in 1967 when the

Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25,0 ...

fraternity teamed with the Varsity Club to acquire a live bison. The bison was named Black Diamond II in reference to the Black Diamond bison on the reverse side of the U.S. nickel at the time. It was kept at South Park and was a featured attraction at parades on the Boulevard of the Allies as well as at sporting events. Black Diamond II was widely popular at Point Park and was a source of pride for the entire school. Although Black Diamond II eventually died, it remains a fixture at the school at present day. Also prominently displayed is the Downtown Pittsburgh environment of which Point Park is a part. In the back left are iconic pieces of the Pittsburgh skyline, and in the back right are two central pieces to the Point Park campus – Lawrence Hall and Academic Hall. Included is the pedestrian bridge above Wood Street that connects the two Point Park buildings. The shape at the bottom of the logo is representative of the bastions of Fort Duquesne and Fort Pitt, which were once located in the area now known as Point State Park. Point Park University derives its name from Point State Park, which is located at the meeting place of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. Point State Park is just a few blocks from the university's campus. The head men's basketball coach is Joe Lewandowski. The head coach of the women's basketball team is Tony Grenek.

Notable alumni

John Amplas John Amplas (born June 23, 1949) is an American actor known primarily for his work with director George A. Romero, particularly his appearances in the title role of ''Martin'' (1978), as well as '' Dawn of the Dead'' (1978) and ''Creepshow'' (1 ...

– Film actor, known for Dawn of the Dead,

Knightriders ''Knightriders'' is a 1981 American drama film written and directed by George A. Romero and starring Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll, Patricia Tallman, and Christine Forrest. It was filmed entirely on location in the Pittsbu ...

Creepshow ''Creepshow'' is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Le ...

, and

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead ( es, Día de Muertos or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely obser ...

Rob Ashford Rob Ashford (born November 19, 1959) is an American stage director and choreographer. He is a Tony Award, Olivier Award, Emmy Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award winner. Early life and education Born in Orlando, Florida and ...

– Won the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

in 2002 for his choreography for Broadway's

Thoroughly Modern Millie ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is a 1967 American musical-romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay, by Richard Morris based on the 1956 British musical ''Chrysanthemum'', follows a naïve young ...

. *

Panther Bior Panther Garang Bior is one of the 27,000 Lost Boys of Sudan. His journey was featured in the National Geographic Society's 2006 award-winning documentary, ''God Grew Tired of Us'' (executive produced by Brad Pitt and narrated by Nicole Kidman). ...

– One of the Lost Boys of Sudan, featured in the award-winning documentary film

God Grew Tired of Us ''God Grew Tired of Us'' is a 2006 American documentary film about three of the "Lost Boys of Sudan", a group of some 25,000 young men who have fled the wars in Sudan since the 1980s, and their experiences as they move to the United States. The fil ...

* Greg Brown- Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster * Gerald M. Feierstein – U.S. ambassador *

Paul Costa Paul Costa may refer to: * Paul Costa (American football) (1941–2015), American football player * Paul Costa (politician) (born 1959), American politician * Paul Costa (skier) (born 1971), Australian Olympic skier * Paul Costa Jr. Paul Cost ...

– Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives *

Jennifer DiNoia Jennifer "Jenny" DiNoia (born February 23, 1982) is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her work in musical theatre, especially ''Wicked'', playing the lead role of Elphaba in various productions around the world. Caree ...

– theatre actress * Billy Hartung – Broadway/TV actor & dancer, Chuck Cranston in

Footloose Footloose may refer to: * ''Footloose'' (1984 film), a musical film ** ''Footloose'' (1984 soundtrack) ** "Footloose" (song), performed by Kenny Loggins * ''Footloose'' (2011 film), a remake of the 1984 film ** ''Footloose'' (2011 soundtrack) ...

, starred in 2002 film

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Neil Haskell Neil David Haskell (born April 16, 1987) is an American contemporary dancer and actor. He is best known as a contestant on ''So You Think You Can Dance'' where he finished third in the final four. On April 22, 2008, he began performing in the Off- ...

– Broadway performer & Contemporary dancer,

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...

contestant *

Michael Holley Michael S. Holley (born February 26, 1970) is an American television and radio sports commentator, sports reporter and author. He formerly wrote columns for the ''Boston Globe'', ''Chicago Tribune'', ''The Plain Dealer'', and '' Akron Beacon Jo ...

– Sports journalist *

Melina Kanakaredes Melina Eleni Kanakaredes Constantinides ( el, Μελίνα Ελένη Κανακαρίδη Κωνσταντινίδη; born April 23, 1967) is an American actress. She is widely known for her roles in U.S. primetime television dramas as Dr. Sydn ...

– TV actress &

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

nominee * Don Kelly –

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

Shortstop *

Alicia Kozakiewicz Alicia Kozakiewicz ( ; born 1988) is an American television personality, motivational speaker, and Internet safety and missing persons advocate. Kozakiewicz is the founder of the Alicia Project, an advocacy group designed to raise awareness about ...

Television Personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

and child Internet safety advocate * Bobby Madritsch –

Pitcher *

John Magaro John Robert Magaro (born February 16, 1983) is an American actor. He starred in '' Not Fade Away'' (2012). He also had roles in ''The Big Short'', '' Carol'' (2015) and the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'' and ''The Umbrella Academy''. ...

– Film actor * Jim Martin –

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-Winning director for Sesame Street *

Dennis Miller Dennis Michael Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American talk show host, political commentator, sports commentator, actor, and comedian. He was a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1991, and he subsequently hosted a stri ...

– Comedian * Jimmy Miller – Film producer, credits include

She's Out Of My League ''She's Out of My League'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Jim Field Smith and written by Sean Anders and John Morris. It stars Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve, and was produced by Jimmy Miller and David Householter for Paramount ...

, Step Brothers, and

The Other Guys ''The Other Guys'' is a 2010 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Adam McKay, who co-wrote it with Chris Henchy. It stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg with Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samuel L. Jac ...

Matthew Noszka Matthew Daniel Noszka (born October 27, 1992) is an American actor and model. Early life Noszka was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and relocated to New York City. He attended Chartiers Valley High School in Pittsburgh, and attended Point Pa ...

– Model *

Gino Anthony Pesi Gino Anthony Pesi (born November 3, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and writer. He is best known for his role as James Nava in the NBC series ''Shades of Blue''. Early life Pesi was born on November 3, 1980 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania a ...

– Actor, Producer, Director, Writer. Known for his role on

Shades of Blue Varieties of the color blue may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation, intensity, or colorfulness), or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called tints and sha ...

Megan Sikora Megan Sikora (born April 11, 1979) is an American actress who has appeared on Broadway in several musicals. She originated the role of Bambi Bernet in ''Curtains'' in 2007. Early life Sikora grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She began dancing ...

– Broadway performer & Dancer, appeared as ''Lorraine/Ensemble'' in 42nd Street *

Ryan Skyy Ryan Skyy is an American house music producer, DJ, radio talk show host and songwriter with six No. 1 ''Billboard''-charting remixes, a Top 40 ''Billboard''-charting single, and a #9 iTunes US Top 40 Dance single. Skyy is the host of the weekly ra ...

– Six-time #1 Billboard-charting music producer, DJ, and radio host *

Paige Spara Paige Spara (born August 9, 1989) is an American actress best known for her main roles as Audrey Piatigorsky in the ABC Family sitcom ''Kevin from Work'' and Lea Dilallo in the ABC medical drama '' The Good Doctor''. Early life Spara was bor ...

– Actress known for her work in '' The Good Doctor'' and ''

Kevin from Work ''Kevin from Work'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC Family from August 12 to October 7, 2015. The pilot was ordered on January 6, 2015 and picked up to series on March 24, 2015. On March 4, 2016, ''Kevin from Work'' was officially cancelle ...

'' *

John Stuper John Anton Stuper (born May 9, 1957) is a former baseball coach and former pitcher. He attended Point Park University before playing professionally from 1982–1985 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds. He then served as the head ...

–

Pitcher *

Tony Yazbeck Tony Yazbeck (March 14, 1979) is an American actor, singer, and dancer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage, including the revival of '' On the Town'', for which he received 2015 Tony Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for ...

– Broadway performer, ''Billy Flynn'' in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Marisha Ray Marisha Ray Huber (born May 10, 1989), better known as Marisha Ray, is an American voice actress, host, producer, and creative director. She is best known for her roles as herself and her characters Keyleth, Beauregard, and Laudna on the ''Dunge ...

– Voice actor, known for

Critical Role ''Critical Role'' is an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors play ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The show started streaming partway through the cast's first campaign in March 2015. Campaign one ended in October 2017 after ...

* Fred McLeod – Sportscaster *

Josh Haeder Joshua R. Haeder (born September 19, 1980) is an American businessman and politician from the state of South Dakota. He is the South Dakota State Treasurer. Haeder is from Huron, South Dakota. Prior to being elected South Dakota's 33rd state ...

– 33rd State Treasurer of South Dakota

International Summer Dance alumni

Josefina Scaglione Josefina Scaglione (born September 5, 1987) is an Argentinian musical theatre actress and singer, best known for her performance as Maria in the 2009 Broadway revival of ''West Side Story'', for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Bes ...

– Broadway actress & Dancer *

Stephen Hanna This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet. * Victor Abreu * Devin Albe ...

– Former principal dancer for NYC Ballet & Broadway dancer

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1960 Dance in Pennsylvania Performing arts education in the United States Universities and colleges in Pittsburgh 1960 establishments in Pennsylvania Private universities and colleges in Pennsylvania