Internship Opportunities for All Incoming Freshman

The University of Pittsburgh is starting a new project to guarantee that every undergraduate student has an internship opportunity.  This program will help give undergraduates the edge when they enter the competitive world after they graduate.   All freshman students are eligible to participate in the Internship Preparation Program, which is the first step in obtaining that crucial internship.

In an effort to help University of Pittsburgh students obtain a competitive edge and prepare for life after graduation, the University’s Office of Career Development and Placement Assistance (CDPA) is unveiling an initiative that guarantees every undergraduate the opportunity of an internship. 

Starting this fall, any registered Pitt undergraduate on the Pittsburgh campus is eligible to participate in the Internship Preparation Program (IPP), which is the first step in a student obtaining an internship placement.

“We are pleased to offer this opportunity to all of our undergraduates. Internships, like undergraduate research and study abroad, provide students with opportunities to deepen their understanding of what they have learned in their classes and are an important component of ensuring that Pitt graduates make wise career choices and are adequately prepared for the next phase of their lives,” said Pitt Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patricia E. Beeson.

 “The University’s Office of Career Development and Placement Assistance has developed a thorough preparation program for students wanting to obtain an internship placement. Pitt’s internship guarantee is one of the University’s many offerings intended to meet students’ academic and career needs,” Beeson added.

 As one of the nation’s leading public research universities, Pitt places a high priority on having its students engaged in experiential learning, said Cheryl Finlay, director of the CDPA, whether that means conducting research with world-class faculty members or performing internships designed to build on what students learn in the classroom.  

“Employers are looking to hire new graduates with experience, so we are working diligently with employers to make more internships available and accessible to our students,” said Finlay. “At the same time, we want our students to understand the importance and value of completing successful internships.” 

The IPP will include a series of six sessions that can be completed during walk-in appointments made at a student’s convenience. Each session addresses a different aspect of preparing for an internship: résumé formatting and content, résumé review and internship focus, preparation for an internship interview, networking skills, and internship search, as well as a session focused on succeeding in the internship. 

Once students complete the IPP, they meet individually with CDPA staff for personal résumé reviews, mock interviews, and support in identifying strong matching opportunities for internships. Finlay said the guaranteed internship opportunities will begin for students in the spring and summer semesters of 2013.

Alyson Kavalukas, CDPA internship coordinator, said the internship guarantee program could be the first of its kind. 

“To the best of our knowledge, after researching this issue, benchmarking at other schools, and through outreach at national conferences, we believe the University of Pittsburgh is unique in guaranteeing experiential learning for all undergraduates who complete a preparation program,” said Kavalukas.

CDPA, which was recently ranked as one of the best career services departments at a college or university in the 2013 edition of The Princeton Review’s annual college guide, will encourage students who haven’t yet determined their career paths to use internships as a chance to explore potential career fields, their

individual strengths, and work dynamics.

Finlay said the effort to help students gain experience-based learning helps the University reach its goal of 95 percent employment placement for new graduates. She said the closer her office is to attaining that goal, the better Pitt is able to recruit and retain top students and to maintain an engaged alumni population. 

“Experiential learning provides students with skill sets and professional savvy that they will use in their careers, and these experiences are highly desired by employers,” said Finlay. “It also helps students identify their true passions and strengths in order to make smart academic decisions and choose the right career paths.”

For more information check out the University of Pittsburgh.

Happy 100th Birthday to a University of Pittsburgh legend!

 Today would have been Gene Kelly's 100th birthday.  He is a dancing, singing, and acting legend from Pittsburgh.  He has strong roots here through family, and also is the legacy of the Gene Kelly Awards.  Many people know him from his movie Singing in the Rain, but he also revolutionized the way dance and theater is filmed on camera.  University of Pitt students are celebrating his legacy today along with the University's 225th anniversary.

The University of Pittsburgh is observing its own 225th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of the birth in Pittsburgh of special Academy Award-honored dancer, director, choreographer, actor, singer, and Pitt alumnus Gene Kelly with two events:

• From 3 to 4 p.m. Aug. 23, Kelly’s actual birth date, some 3,000 incoming University of Pittsburgh freshmen are slated to hold umbrellas while taking part in a choreographed dance on the lawn adjacent to Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.

• From 8 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 25, Patricia Ward Kelly, Gene Kelly’s widow and the author of a forthcoming memoir about him, will host “Pitt’s Gene Kelly Centennial Celebration,” an evening of Kelly on film with Pittsburgh- and Pitt-centered commentary on Kelly’s life and career. The leading authority on the cinema and stage legend, Mrs. Kelly has recently given sold-out presentations on Gene Kelly at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles and Lincoln Center in New York City.Patricia Ward kelly

Part of Pitt’s New Student Orientation 2012, the Aug. 23 event will attempt to shatter the Guinness World Record for the “Greatest Number of People Simultaneously Performing an Umbrella Dance at a Single Venue.” The current record, set in September 2011 in Bucharest, Romania, involved 1,461 participants.

Holding aloft the umbrellas, which will be handed to them as they enter the Petersen Events Center’s lawn area, the Pitt students taking part in this attempt will dance the Cupid Shuffle, a popular line dance. Witnesses, head-counters, and videographers will document the event and send the information to the Guinness authorities for their verification of the new world record.

The dance event honoring Kelly, one of Pitt’s most renowned alumni, has been designed to remind spectators and participants alike of Kelly’s iconic dance sequence from the classic 1952 film musical Singin’ in the Rain, in which he dances up and down a rain-drenched street twirling an umbrella and splashing in puddles. This sequence is considered by many to be the most memorable dance performance on film. Kelly is credited with bringing an energetically athletic, authentically American dancing style to Hollywood musicals, and for changing the look of dance on film through his revolutionary innovations with the camera, choreography, and animation.

Kelly received the Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Pitt in 1933. While at Pitt, he became involved with the University’s Cap and Gown Club, serving as its director from 1934 to 1938, and taught dance at his family’s dance studio in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood; he would also choreograph musicals at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Nixon Theater. Kelly enrolled in Pitt’s School of Law but left after a couple of months to concentrate on teaching dance.

Kelly’s younger brother Fred, also a Pitt alumnus, was honored in 2004 when the lobby of Pitt’s Stephen Foster Memorial—home to Pitt’s Charity Randall Theatre and Henry Heymann Theatre—was renamed the Fred Kelly Lobby.

Pitt students set new Guinness World Records at the last two New Student Orientations, for the “World’s Largest Torch-lit Logo” in 2010 and the “World’s Largest Glow Stick Design” in 2011.

For more information please see the University of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Restaurant Week

Eating out all the time can become expensive.  However, thanks to Pittsburgh's Restaurant Week, trying new restaurants can be affordable.  Pittsburgh has a variety of restaurants from Thai to American all throughout the city.  Pittsburgh restaurant week allowed patrons to try out different restaurants with a set affordable price.  These restaurants have different specials and deals throughout the week. 
 
Event: Pittsburgh Restaurant Week
 
Location: Various locations around Pittsburgh
 
Date: August 13-19, 2012
 
Time: Various times (depending on restaurants hours)
 
Cost: Around $25-30 for fixed price 3-4 course dinners (some as low as $15!)
 
Description: Pittsburgh Restaurant Week embraces the melting pot of restaurants in our great city in a week-long celebration of dining and food. For the week of August 13-19, 2012, the Pittsburgh community is invited to celebrate the wealth of options in the dining scene by enjoying a wonderful meal at a participating restaurant at a discounted price.  In return, Pittsburgh’s restaurants are celebrating their food, cuisine and livelihood.  Their participation in Pittsburgh Restaurant Week demonstrates their dedication to and appreciation of the Pittsburgh community – a community that has supported their passion for food and dining.

Visit pittsburghrestaurantweek.com for the official listing of participating restaurants. Restaurants are encouraged to visit this site and register their restaurants to take advantage of this opportunity to reinforce their bonds with the community and celebrate the burgeoning food culture in Pittsburgh.
The mission of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week is to highlight the wide-ranging dining options that Pittsburgh has to offer and bring individuals from surrounding boroughs or suburbs to the city to walk the streets and enjoy a dinner at a special discounted price.

For more information please see Living Pittsburgh.

Steeler Camp is Underway

The NFL Season is quickly approaching, and the Steeler fans are starting to get ready.  Terrible Towels are starting to be displayed, jerseys are starting to be worn, and people are starting to make their way to Training Camp.  Training camp in Latrobe is a time honored tradition of most Steeler fans. Practices are held during the afternoon, and most are open to the public.  It is a great way to witness the six-time champions before the season, and you might even get a chance to meet some players.

Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp kicked off last week for its 47th consecutive season at St. Vincent College in Latrobe. Given a nod as the best training camp in the NFL by Peter King of CNN, Steelers training camp features plenty of action, the opportunity to get player autographs, and a chance to watch first-hand as the players battle for key positions. 

Among those who reported to camp was first-round draft pick David DeCastro, who signed a four-year contract, and is expected to start for the Steelers at right guard this year. Veteran Max Starks was also re-signed and will be battling rookie Mike Adams for the job at left tackle. However, the biggest news was the absence of restricted free-agent wide receiver Mike Wallace from training camp. The Pro Bowl receiver has declined to sign the one-year, $2.7 million tender offer, and the Steelers have now suspended negotiations on a long-term contract until Mike Wallace reports to camp. Also notably absent for only the second time in 15 years is recently retired Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward. 

Training camp will be fun as always for fans, but also not the same without Hines, James Farrior, Aaron Smith, Chris Hoke, Bryant McFadden, William Gay, and Daniel Sepulveda. The 2012 Steelers training camp runs from Wednesday, July 25, when the players first report to camp, through Friday, August 17th, and most afternoon practices are open to the public. The first public practice for Steelers Training Camp 2012 is Friday, July 27th.

For more information see The Steeler Guide.