Residence Hall at Pitt–Bradford Named in Honor of Retiring President of Regional Campuses

During his tenure as president of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Livingston Alexander has strived to enrich the lives of students and the surrounding community.

And now, Pitt is honoring the man credited with creating new opportunities for students and raising the region’s profile by formally naming the Livingston Alexander House, Residence Hall on the Pitt–Bradford campus.

“Over the course of his nearly 15-year career at Pitt, Livingston’s ambitious vision has shaped every facet of learning and leading at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford,” said Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, who announced the naming of the building at the September Board of Trustees meeting. “The Livingston Alexander House, Residence Hall will stand as a lasting tribute to this impact, which will benefit both our students and broader University community for generations to come.”

Alexander, who announced his retirement in June, has led Pitt–Bradford to success in the areas of academic excellence, campus development and fiscal prosperity. Notable achievements in these areas include:

• Academic excellence: Development of 16 new majors, increases in student enrollment and retention and a steady rise in national visibility, evidenced by national rankings including those from The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report.
• Campus development: Construction of five new residence halls and a nondenominational chapel, major renovations to two academic buildings and the acquisition of the facility in downtown Bradford that now houses the Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibit Center.
• Fiscal prosperity: Completion of capital campaigns totaling $33 million and increases in endowment and foundation assets of more than 250 percent. Alexander also led efforts to secure federal grants to serve students who are disabled or from underrepresented populations as well as first-generation students.

Work on the Livingston Alexander House, Residence Hall began in May. The $17 million coed living facility is expected to be ready for student occupancy in fall 2018. When completed, the residence hall will house more than 170 first-year students and will include a wide range of amenities, including a fitness facility as well as study and community lounges.

Alexander was named the third president of Pitt–Bradford in April 2003. He assumed the presidency of Pitt–Titusville — in an administrative realignment under which he has served as president of both institutions — in May 2012. Under his leadership, Pitt–Titusville has seen campus student enrollment stabilized and student retention and graduation rates increase.

Prior to coming to Pitt, Alexander served as the provost and vice president for academic affairs and a professor of psychology at Kean University in New Jersey. He also was the vice president for academic affairs at Troy State University-Montgomery and associate vice president for academic affairs and director of graduate studies at Western Kentucky University. Alexander began his higher education career as a professor of psychology at Western Kentucky in 1977.

Throughout his academic and administrative career, Alexander has focused his research pursuits in the areas of cognition, teaching and learning, and leadership. He has written extensively on these topics, publishing his findings in such notable academic publications as Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development and the Journal of Educational Psychology.

“I am both humbled and honored beyond measure by this extraordinary moment,” said Alexander. “When I assumed the presidency at Pitt–Bradford, I regarded the appointment as the opportunity of a lifetime. Now that I am reflecting on my time at Bradford and Titusville, I consider myself fortunate to have served this noble network of institutions that have given so much back to me and my family.”