Satellite college campuses can sometimes feel like a distant outpost of the main school.
In recent years, some have fallen on tough times, including seven of Penn State’s satellite campuses that are slated to close in spring 2027 because of declining enrollment and budget constraints.
At the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, however, enrollment has held steady, and in 2026, three graduating seniors will achieve milestones the Hempfield campus has never seen before.
A historic Fulbright
One of the most significant opportunities gained by integrating the David C. Frederick Honors College into the campus was the chance for students to apply for the prestigious Fulbright scholarship.
Senior Alanna Schill, 21, of New Castle is the campus’ first Fulbright awardee. She will travel to the Czech Republic for an English teaching assistantship.
“I’m majoring in secondary education and history, with minors in political science, psychology and English literature,” Schill said. “I’m kind of all over the place, and when I was looking at the Fulbright, I knew I didn’t want to do research. But then I found the English teaching assistant pathway, and it fit right in with the education areas I was already studying.”
Schill, who previously studied in Germany as a recipient of the Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship, will take a six-week crash course in basic Czech this summer. She will be placed at a high school, trade school or agricultural program.
“It will be interesting to observe the education itself, to see what different teaching strategies they have in place that I can learn and implement on my own,” she said.
A new degree
Justin Crookston, 24, of Jeannette will be the first student at the campus to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy — a degree that, until recently, was only available at Pitt’s main campus.
“It was the perfect chance to have sort of a two-year-long mini-master’s-level research opportunity while I’m here as an undergraduate,” Crookston said. “Whenever I started here, this didn’t exist.”
As associate dean of the Frederick Honors College, professor Frank Wilson brought these specialized opportunities to the Greensburg campus, enabling students to graduate with a jointly issued honors degree.
For Crookston, the degree was about more than just a title; it was about his future in genetic engineering.
“The tools I’ve gained from it were really appealing because it was basically a two-year research project diving deeper into what I want to do. … It will just make me more competitive for the graduate programs I want to apply to.”
A 2nd chance
Senior Javon Brown, 22, a Monroeville native, represents a different kind of success as the first graduate of the college’s Bridges program. The program was designed for students who show potential but lacked the high school credentials for normal acceptance.
“My freshman and senior years of high school went very well for me,” Brown said. “Those middle two years? Not so much. Covid-19 and my mental health had an impact on that.”
After pulling his grades up during his senior year, Brown was accepted into Bridges, which provided a month of early prep, specialized advising and workshops. He flourished in the environment, eventually becoming a leader and mentor on campus.
Brown will graduate with a degree in psychology and a minor in biology. In July, he plans to apply for a doctorate program in occupational therapy.
The power of the satellite campus
Professor Wilson notes the smaller size of the Greensburg campus is exactly what allowed these three different students to succeed.
“If they allow it, it gets to be very personal,” Wilson said. “That makes it easier for us to identify ways to help students improve, and it’s a way for students to feel comfortable and make their own improvements.”