Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patricia E. Beeson is Pitt’s Honors Convocation Speaker Feb. 25

Patricia E. Beeson

Patricia E. Beeson, Pitt provost and senior vice chancellor, will be the keynote speaker at the University of Pittsburgh’s 35th annual Honors Convocation, to be held at 3 p.m. Feb. 25 in Carnegie Music Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland.

Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg will preside at the convocation, which recognizes undergraduate, graduate, and professional-school student leadership and academic achievement; faculty and staff accomplishments; and distinguished alumni.

“Our annual Honors Convocation is a community celebration of academic achievement,” said Chancellor Nordenberg. “It seemed particularly fitting, then, to invite Provost Beeson, in her first year as our chief academic officer, to address the University community. She has made many important contributions to Pitt’s growing record of progress, from a range of positions, over the course of many years. As Provost, she has assumed a critical leadership role and is poised to help take us through a new period of impact and accomplishment.”

Beeson was appointed provost and senior vice chancellor for the University on Aug. 15, 2010, following six years of service in the Office of the Provost, first as vice provost for graduate studies followed by an appointment as vice provost for undergraduate and graduate studies. Prior to that, she served three years as associate dean for undergraduate studies in the School of Arts and Sciences. She has been a faculty member of the Department of Economics since 1983 and has a secondary appointment in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Beeson earned her bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University in 1977 and her doctoral degree from the University of Oregon in 1983. During her tenure at the University, Beeson has also served as a research associate at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and has held visiting appointments at both the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and the University of Michigan. Beeson has published numerous papers in refereed journals on urban growth, urban labor markets, and mortgage lending. Her research on the role of universities in the growth and development of urban areas has been particularly important in her administrative roles at the University.

As provost, senior vice chancellor, and chief academic officer of the University, Beeson exercises general oversight of academic affairs on all five Pitt campuses. She works closely with Chancellor Nordenberg and other members of the University’s leadership team, providing the academic vision and the fiscal discipline to foster future success in an environment characterized not only by nearly limitless opportunities but also by clearly limited resources. As provost, she is responsible for initiating and promoting the University’s commitment to excellence in education and research and to strong partnerships in community development, while also securing an adequate resource base and ensuring the University’s operational effectiveness.

Beeson is chair of the University Planning and Budgeting Committee, Information Technology Steering Committee, International Coordinating Council, and Council of

Deans and cochair of the University’s Facilities Planning Committee. She is the principal liaison to the Academic Affairs and Libraries Committee of the Board of Trustees. She is the former chair of the University Council on Graduate Study, Provost’s Advisory Committee on Undergraduate Programs, Enrollment Management Committee, and Provost’s Advisory Committee on Women’s Concerns.