[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 137 (Monday, September 17, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT JOHNSTOWN 80TH ANNIVERSARY AND PRESIDENTIAL 
                              INAUGURATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN P. MURTHA

                            of pennslyvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 17, 2007

  Mr. MURTHA. Madam Speaker, I rise before the House to congratulate 
the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ) as it celebrates its 
80th anniversary and inaugurates its fifth president, Dr. Jem Spectar. 
In announcing Dr. Spectar's appointment, Pitt Chancellor Mark A. 
Nordenberg offered, ``Dr. Spectar is a visionary leader and a 
celebrated teacher with the skills and experience necessary to build 
effectively upon the strengths of our Johnstown campus and to enrich 
the lives of students, faculty, staff and administration.''
  Officially founded in 1927, UPJ was first established in a wing of 
Johnstown Senior High School. A growing number of G.I. Bill students 
made it necessary for the college to relocate in 1946 to the Cyprus 
Avenue Elementary School. In the 1960s, the college and community led a 
drive to relocate UPJ from downtown Johnstown to its current location 
in Richland Township, a 635-acre wooded area with, initially, six 
academic buildings, a library, a student union-physical education 
complex and five residence halls.
  The current campus was dedicated by former President Dwight D. 
Eisenhower in September 1967, almost 40 years to the day after UPJ 
first set up operations in Johnstown Senior High School. The campus has 
come a long way in 80 years. UPJ now boasts some 2,700 full-time and 
450 part-time students, 70 student organizations, 143 faculty, 210 
staff, nearly 40 campus buildings and more than 15,000 alumni.
  Again, I offer my congratulations to UPJ for reaching the milestone 
of its 80th anniversary. I am confident that this excellent educational 
institution will continue to be a vital asset to the region for another 
80 years to come.

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