Pitt to the Power of What?

by Audrey Hunker

“Pitt to the Power of One” is the new brand at Pitt-Greensburg that greeted students as they began the new semester. Seen on banners around campus, the walls in the Millstein Library, and the Pitt-Greensburg website, it was hard to not notice the statement and wonder what it was.

“Pitt to the Power One is a brand identification for all that we represent,” said Dr. Sharon Smith, President of Pitt-Greensburg. “We’re very excited about it. We think it captures the essence in a catchy way.”

The previous brand statement, “Discover yourself, discover the world,” had been in circulation for nearly a decade. In order to appeal to a new generation of students, an update was suggested.

“This was a good time for us to take a good look at ourselves and essentially articulate who we were as an institution,” said Susan Isola, director of Media Relations.

Focus groups comprising of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and employers of Pitt graduates were brought together and interviewed. Using the information collected and working with an external firm, “Pitt to the Power of One” was created.

“It was vague. But it was vague on purpose,” said Isola about the statement. “The openness of the definition allows people to personalize it to their experience here at Pitt-Greensburg.”

The brand lends itself to various experiences, whether it is the power of one person, the power of one idea, the power of one dream, or the power of one university.

Dr. Smith immediately shut down the rumors that a $1 million dollar price tag is attached to this new brand, saying, “That’s ridiculous. That is utterly ridiculous.”

“Financial resources are part of the decision making process and Pitt-Greensburg does not have a large marketing budget,” Isola further explained. “So, we look at all of our options and try to choose the activities that are going to give us the biggest bang for our buck.”

She revealed that several departments on campus helped pay for the banners with leftover money from their budgets last year. Everyone came together as one in order to unveil “Pitt to the Power of One” to our community.