The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will receive $2.15
million in rural education outreach funding from the state for
fiscal year 2007 to be used to implement or enhance four academic
programs.

Dr. Livingston Alexander, Pitt-Bradford president, made the
announcement Thursday afternoon at the KOA Speer Electronics Lobby
in Blaisdell Hall. He was joined by State Sen. Joseph Scarnati,
R-Brockway, and State Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, who helped
secure the funding.

The amount represents a $415,000 or a 23.8 percent increase from
2006.

“I and my colleagues at Pitt-Bradford were very nervous and
concerned last February when the Governor’s proposed budget for the
commonwealth included a significant reduction in our rural
education outreach budget line item,” Alexander said. “Sen.
Scarnati and Rep. Causer were also concerned. We were thrilled when
they pledged their support to return the rural education budget
line item at least to the previous year’s level. We were even more
thrilled when they also indicated their support for an increase in
the line item.”

“Rep. Causer and I have a great relationship,” Scarnati said.
“You don’t often find that between fellow Congressmen, and it’s not
always a party thing. … Marty and I work together well.”

Scarnati and Causer noted how the funding would help the
academic programs at Pitt-Bradford, adding to the regional
workforce.

“This money goes a long way,” Scarnati said. “It’s no secret
you’re losing jobs here.”

Causer, who is also an alumnus and member of the Advisory Board
at Pitt-Bradford, also recognized Pitt-Bradford’s economic impact
on the community, noting the expanded programs allows the
university to do more for the region.

“This is a significant expansion of funds,” Causer said. “We’re
hit up for funds for everything. Everyone wants state funding. It
was my proudest moment to secure funding for our university. Each
year the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is my number one
funding priority.”

The funding will help the newly developed majors in
entrepreneurship and hospitality management/tourism and the revised
information technology major as well as upgrade the biological and
health sciences laboratories.

“The new funds will also support our efforts to bring to the
Pitt-Titusville campus four-year degree completion programs in
business management, human relations and other academic areas,”
Alexander said.

The entrepreneurship program will benefit with renovations for
its satellite location in the Seneca Building in downtown Bradford,
along with the hiring of secretarial support. The entrepreneurship
program provides services to existing businesses and start-ups in
the region.

“Everyone in this community understands how important the
Business Resource Center is to the health and vitality of our
businesses in the region,” Alexander said. “When the funding that
had supported the Center for 20 years was discontinued last year,
we knew that we had a problem on our hands. We were forced to
suspend a great deal of the work performed by the Center.
Recognizing the importance of this Center to our region, Sen.
Scarnati was able to secure the funding that will enable us to
continue the Center’s important work.”

Hospitality Management is a new four-year degree program that is
being fully implemented this school year. Funding will be used to
support the acquisition of library resources, materials and
supplies along with covering travel expenses, improving internship
opportunities for students of this new major.

In addition, the funds will be used to renovate and improve
science laboratories on campus to better address the needs of
biology and health sciences students and acquire programmable logic
control hardware and software in conjunction with the newly revised
associate degree program in information systems.

Alexander also noted Scarnati’s and Causer’s continued support
of the Science-in-Motion program, and Rick Esch asked if the
funding for the program was safe or in jeopardy if there is a
reshuffling in funding.

Scarnati said the program brought support state-wide, but
there’s no safeguard for the funding.

“It has proved itself over and over,” Scarnati said.

“There’s very strong support for it,” Causer added.