The University of Pittsburgh’s David C. Frederick Honors College is expanding to include high-achieving students enrolled at its suburban Greensburg campus in Hempfield, officials announced Tuesday.

Effective this fall, undergraduates with the necessary academic qualifications can enroll in the newly formed David C. Frederick Honors College at Pitt-Greensburg.

Students there, many enrolled in Pitt-Greensburg’s honors program, will gain access to the same programming, funding and honors-specific support as their peers in Pittsburgh, officials said in announcing the expansion.

It could be scholarships, study abroad funding and the ability to take classes not only available in Greensburg, but those team taught by faculty to honors college students delivered remotely, Pitt-Greensburg President Robert Gregerson said Tuesday.

“I’ve been at Pitt-Greensburg five years. I attend every single admissions event that we have on campus. And I was hearing, honestly, often from parents about this,” he said.

They want honors opportunities including an honors college.

“There were definitely students and families who had that as an expectation.”

Enrollment projections are fluid, but “we anticipate 40 to 50 students will be participating in the David C. Frederick Honors College at Pitt-Greensburg in fall 2024,” campus spokeswoman Susan Isola said Tuesday.

Pitt’s Honors College, founded in 1987, includes lectures, special classes, advising, housing and support, according to its website. Students can opt for a research-based degree, the Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil).

It is housed on the 35th and 36th floors of the Cathedral of Learning, providing a sweeping view of the Oakland campus.

But Greensburg students need not travel to Oakland to obtain the honors degree, though they will have access to classes delivered there.

Both campuses will benefit greatly from the expansion, predicted Nicola Foote, dean of Pitt’s Frederick Honors College and a professor in the university’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

The expansion “will allow a wider range of curious, talented and ambitious students to participate in challenging interdisciplinary learning opportunities and become part of an intellectual community that provides mentorship and support,” she said in remarks posted to Pitt’s website.

Students will gain research, leadership and other opportunities.

Gregerson said, for Pitt-Greensburg, it is another way to attract students interested in an Honors College education but in a smaller setting closer to home.

Pitt-Greensburg, second largest of Pitt’s four branch campuses, enrolls 1,321 students and is approximately 30 miles and roughly an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh, depending on traffic. It, like other regional campuses, has suffered in a weak student market.

“It’s another tool in our toolbox to bring in students that would not come here, just like, you know, if you have a student who wants to play lacrosse, and you don’t have a lacrosse program. That student is just going to find someplace that does.”

It is another way to boost retention of students who otherwise might leave after two years to finish their Honors College degree in Oakland.

Honors education at Pitt-Greensburg is rooted in creation in 1999 of the Academic Village, four living-learning communities serving the most intellectually curious students.

The honors program at Greensburg was formally established in fall 2020 by Frank Wilson, assistant vice president for academic affairs and fellow Pitt-Greensburg faculty members Sheila Confer, William Pamerleau and John Prellwitz.

Pitt in July 2022 announced a multimillion-dollar gift by David C. Frederick and Sophie Lynn to rename the University Honors College and establish the David C. Frederick Honors College at Pitt. Frederick is an alumnus (A&S ’83) was Pitt’s first Rhodes Scholar and studied at Oxford.

Honors College admission looks at classroom academics in part but also takes into consideration student performance in an essay assignment and other factors including demonstrated interested in community engagement. Gregerson said students enrolling typically have a 3.5 gpa and up.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)