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The Director’s Chair

Welcome

Dear Parents,

Our primary goal within the Student Services Office is to provide guidance and support – academic and nonacademic – for our students so that their time with us is a positive and rewarding experience. From the admission process, to their first days as freshmen and through graduation day, our personnel are prepared to offer assistance.

To ensure our students stay on track throughout their academic journeys, our office:

  • Communicates consistent and correct information about school policies and program curricula to the students;
  • Makes sure students have the resources they need to meet their academic needs and encourages them to make use of the many resources available to them within the University of Pittsburgh;
  • Collaborates with faculty, staff, and administration to serve as an advocate for students - troubleshooting and functioning as a resource for school- and university-related student issues.

In addition, every student is assigned an Academic Advisor who will help plan academic progression throughout the nursing program. In order to develop an advisory relationship, students are encouraged to meet regularly with assigned Academic Advisors, beyond the required signing of course registration forms each term.

The School has an established mechanism to help students with difficulties they may encounter during their academic journey at the University. Issues related to admission, registration, scholarship and/or financial aid, and graduation should be directed to the Student Services Office through the relevant Associate Director of Student Services for either the Undergraduate (Ms. Linda Holden, lsh5@pitt.edu) or the Graduate program (Dr. Carole Senter, senterc@pitt.edu). If a solution is not reached, the student should next register the concern with Dr. Julius Kitutu, the Director of Student Services. Should a problem remain unresolved, the student may then seek further intervention through the Associate Dean of Student Services, Dr. Susan A. Albrecht, saa01@pitt.edu. The Dean of the School of Nursing, Dr. Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob, should be consulted only after all other avenues have been exhausted.

Concerns related to academic problems, either class or clinical, should first be discussed with the Instructor, followed by the Instructor’s Departmental Chair (Health and Community Systems-HCS, Health Promotion and Development-HPD, or Acute/Tertiary Care-ATC). The Associate Dean for Clinical Education, Dr. Helen Burns burnsh@pitt.edu, should be consulted next if the issue remains unresolved. If the student continues to be dissatisfied, Dean Dunbar-Jacob may then be consulted.

Please note that School of Nursing personnel, advisors, staff, and administrators are unable to discuss your child’s concerns with you unless a signed waiver form is on file in the Nursing Student Services Office or with the University’s Registrar. “Waiver Forms” are available at the Student Services Office front desk in Room 239, Victoria Building.

We encourage you to visit the School of Nursing Web site frequently to keep current on activities and scholarship opportunities.

On behalf of all School of Nursing faculty and staff when I say how proud we are of our students. We are committed to providing the highest standard of educational excellence and look forward to the day when they join the ranks of our more than 11,000 Pitt nursing alumni.