The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (150 Finoli Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601) will hold its annual Commencement on Saturday, May 3, in the Chambers Hall Gymnasium.
Of the 213 students eligible to graduate, 183 (86 percent) have registered to participate in Commencement. Two ceremonies will be held:
- 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. – 87 graduates will participate and receive Bachelor of Arts and select Bachelor of Science degrees (Communication, Creative & Professional Writing, Criminal Justice, Data Analytics, Early Childhood Education, Secondary Education, Spanish Education, Special Education, English Literature, History, Information Technology, Healthcare Management, Management, Management: Accounting, Spanish, Political Science, Public Policy, and Visual and Performing Arts).
- 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. -- 96 graduates will participate and receive Bachelor of Science degrees. (Biological Sciences, Chemistry, History, Management, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Nursing, and Psychology).
Pitt-Greensburg is proud to announce the first three graduates of the David C. Frederick Honors College at Pitt-Greensburg. This prestigious program was established in fall 2024 in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s David C. Frederick Honors College. Students accepted into the program earn Degree and Distinction awards by completing a combination of Honors-designated coursework, research, and outside-the-classroom activities:
- Julie Kevicki — Honors Distinction — criminal justice major graduating Summa Cum Laude; from Uniontown, PA;
- Sadie Lewis — Honors Degree — biological sciences major, graduating Summa Cum Laude; from North Huntingdon, PA;
- Olivia Petry — Honors Degree — criminal justice major graduating Magna Cum Laude; from Ligonier, PA.
The Class of 2025 includes three co-Valedictorians:
- Jordan A. Gilbert – English literature major graduating Summa Cum Laude; from West Newton, PA;
- Hailey A. Kepner – biological sciences major graduating Summa Cum Laude; from Mifflintown, PA;
- Nicole M. Pawlowski – information technology major graduating Summa Cum Laude; from McKeesport, PA.
Gilbert and Kepner were selected as the student speakers at the 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ceremonies, respectively.
Two students completed their degrees as recipients of Pitt-Greensburg’s full-tuition scholarships, which they were awarded in 2021 as part of Pitt-Greensburg’s annual Full-Tuition Scholarship competition.
- Hannah Nelson – a nursing major, from Irwin, PA, who is graduating Summa Cum Laude;
- Gabriel Yeager — a mathematics major, from Fairfield, PA, who is graduating Summa Cum Laude.
The 2025 Commencement speaker is Colonel Nancy P. Anderson, USMC (retired), of Greensburg, PA.
Anderson graduated with honor from the US Marine Corps’ Woman Officer Candidate Course in 1972 and from the Woman Officer Basic Course the following year. Most of her military service was spent in tactical communications and computers, in billets ranging from platoon commander through chief of staff, G-6, of 3rd Force Service Support Group (now 3rd Marine Logistics Group) on Okinawa. She served as both a battalion commander and a base commander, with responsibilities for more than 3,000 Marines, Sailors, and civilian employees. Her staff positions included deputy, Strategic Plans Division, within the Corps’ Headquarters Plans, Policies, and Operations Department, and both International Strategic Initiatives deputy and Marine Corps Fellow to the Institute for the National Strategic Studies, specializing in India, Pakistan, and Japan.
Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a Master of Science degree from the Naval Postgraduate School. She is a graduate, with highest distinction, of the Naval War College nonresident program and a graduate of the National War College. When she retired in June 2002, she was one of 10 female colonels in a Marine Corps of more than 200,000 active-duty personnel.
Following her retirement and relocation to her husband Chuck’s hometown of Greensburg, Anderson became an active community volunteer, serving nearly 20 hours each week for several nonprofit organizations at the local, commonwealth, and national levels. Her exceptional volunteer service was recognized by the American Red Cross, the YWCA of Westmoreland County, Seton Hill University, the Women in the NAACP, and the Military Officers Association of America.
Anderson most recently served as the interim CEO of the Westmoreland Cultural Trust, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to stimulate cultural and economic development in the Westmoreland County region. In June 2022, she was appointed to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, composed of 15 women and men appointed by the Secretary Defense to provide advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to the recruitment, retention, employment, integration, well-being, and treatment of women in the Armed Forces.
Anderson is the author of “The Very Few, The Proud: Women in the Marine Corps, 1977-2001” (Marine Corps University Press, 2018).
As part of Pitt-Greensburg’s Legacy Diploma Co-Presentations, 17 students will receive their diplomas from Dr. Robert Gregerson and members of their families who also hold degrees from the University of Pittsburgh or who are employed in the University of Pittsburgh system. Pitt-Greensburg is the only campus in the Pitt system to offer this opportunity to graduates and their families. It is a visual illustration that Pitt-Greensburg graduates join a large “family” of graduates from the many schools and campuses that comprise the University of Pittsburgh. The Legacy Diploma presentations included the following:
10 a.m. Ceremony:
- Mason Boehm, a management major from Monroeville, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by his brother, Tyler Boehm UPG ’17.
- Emily Bonelli, a secondary education major from Apollo, PA whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by her mother, Carolyn Bonelli UPG ’89.
- Erika Christeleit, an early childhood education major from Greensburg, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by her father, Richard Christeleit UPG ’91.
- Clayton E. Gregg V, a management: accounting major from Uniontown, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by his father Clayton E. Gregg IV UPG ’07.
- Irelande Heidenfelder, an early childhood education major from North Huntingdon, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by her sister Olivia Sacco ’13.
- Abigail Krupa, a criminal justice major from Altoona, PA, whose bachelor of arts degree will be co-presented by her father, John Krupa UPJ ’92, and her sister, Courtney Krupa Nearhoof UPG ’18.
- Elizabeth Martorella, a management major from Greensburg, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by her mother, Angela Adams UPG ’92, and her father, Christopher Martorella UPG ’99.
- Joshua Mentzer, a secondary education major from Altoona, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by his brother Jeremiah Crockett UPG ’25.
- Alex Murray, a double major in secondary education and history from Midland, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by her sister, Amanda Filipowski UPG ’16, and her brother, Shawn Murray UPG ’24.
- Haley Rees, a criminal justice major from Emporium, PA, whose bachelor of arts degree will be presented by her sister Laila Smith UPG ’23.
- Olivia Richard, an early childhood education major from McDonald, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be presented by her sister, Emily Richard ’22.
- Oakley Tyger, a secondary education major from Irwin, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be presented by his mother, Maria Tyger UPG ’92.
1 p.m. Ceremony:
- Emma Driscoll, a nursing major from North Irwin, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by her stepfather Rob Cameron UPG ’04.
- Alexis Hepler, a nursing major from Greensburg, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by her fiancé Matthew Contino UPG ’17.
- Taylor Jarnot, a psychology major from East McKeesport, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be co-presented by her sister Madison Jarnot UPG ’22.
- Hunter Roadman, a biological science major from Dickerson Run, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be presented by his sister Loryn Roadman UPG ’24.
- Mariah Ulery, a nursing major from Connellsville, PA, whose bachelor of science degree will be presented by her brother Bradley Ulery UPG ’23.
Pitt-Greensburg’s Commencement also will be live-streamed. Anyone desiring to view the ceremony from their personal computer, tablet computer, or smartphone, can visit www.greensburg.pitt.edu/commencement Saturday, May 3, and click on the link for each ceremony to view the live stream. The video of the ceremonies will also be available for viewing after the events are over.
About Pitt-Greensburg:
Founded in 1963, the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg is a publicly assisted, four-year, liberal arts college in southwestern Pennsylvania. Pitt-Greensburg offers 31 baccalaureate degree programs, including new majors in data analytics, nursing, and healthcare management, as well as 31 minors and four certificate programs. With nearly 1,400 students, more than 10,000 alumni, and faculty and staff numbering 260, Pitt-Greensburg provides a vibrant, diverse community that is a dynamic model of a 21st-century liberal arts education. As part of the University of Pittsburgh system, Pitt-Greensburg offers the resources of a world-renowned university combined with the individualized and immersive experiences of a small liberal arts college. Creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit permeate the campus and extend into its many collaborative projects with the Westmoreland County community. Nestled in Pennsylvania’s beautiful Laurel Highlands, the campus is surrounded by the region’s outdoor recreation venues and rich history. It is a five-minute drive from uptown Greensburg and less than an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh.