Judge John M. Cleland has completed his term of service as
chairman of the Advisory Board at the University of Pittsburgh at
Bradford after leading the board for 10 years.

Cleland stepped down as chairman and was honored in a
presentation Friday evening at the university, where he was given a
Pitt rocking chair to commemorate his years of service.

Cleland, who will continue to serve on the board as immediate
past chairman, will be succeeded by Craig Hartburg, president of
Servco Services and an alumnus of Pitt-Bradford.

“We’re grateful to Judge Cleland for his strong and effective
leadership of the Advisory Board for 10 remarkable years,” said Dr.
Livingston Alexander, university president, “and his innumerable
contributions to Pitt-Bradford. He embraced our vision to create an
institution of the highest quality and, from his position of
leadership, advocated for active delivery of services to the
region.”

Cleland, who has been serving on the Advisory Board since 1984,
was named chairman in 1995, succeeding William Higie, who had
served in that post for 22 years.

“Working with the faculty, staff, administration and supporters
of this campus has been a wonderful and rewarding experience,”
Cleland said. “When I have asked people to help in some way, large
or small, I have never been refused. People understand, almost
instinctively, how important this campus is to the future of our
region and have been remarkably generous in giving their time,
money, advice and good will.”

During Cleland’s tenure as chairman, Pitt-Bradford saw
remarkable growth, both in its enrollment and its physical
plant.

The university saw its highest enrollment ever in the fall of
2001 with 1,465 total students. Other enrollment categories reached
milestones in subsequent years, including the highest total
enrollment of full-time students and the highest number of students
living on campus, both in the fall of 2004.

As for the physical plant, the campus has changed dramatically.
The Sport and Fitness Center and the Frame-Westerberg Commons,
which serves as the student center, were both renovated and
expanded. Blaisdell Hall, the fine arts and communication arts
building, was built, and renovations were made to the Kessel
Athletic Complex. Most recently, Reed-Coit House, the university’s
newest residence hall, was completed and opened in the fall.

“The future for this campus is bright indeed,” Cleland said.
“But no one involved in higher education can assume there will not
be significant challenges ahead. We must match increasing costs
with increasing scholarships to assure access to quality education.
We must develop an enrollment base that assures financial
viability. And, most important, we must offer our students an
educational experience that will enable them to live productive and
satisfying lives. We do all of those things well. The challenge of
the future will be to do all of them better.”

Cleland has been president judge for McKean County since being
installed on Oct. 5, 1984, following a merit selection nomination
by then-Governor Richard Thornburgh and confirmed by the
Pennsylvania Senate. Subsequently, he was elected to a full 10-year
term, beginning in January 1986, and was re-elected in 1995. He is
currently seeking a third 10-year term.

Cleland began his career as a law clerk to the Honorable Barron
P. McCune, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of
Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh from 1972-1974. For the next 10 years,
he served as a partner in the Kane law firm of Woods, Baker and
Cleland.

He received his juris doctorate with honors from The National
Law Center at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.,
in 1972 and earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1969 from
Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

Cleland lives in Kane with his wife, Julie. They are the parents
of two daughters.