The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (Pitt-Bradford or UPB) is a state-related college in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It is a baccalaureate degree-granting, regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh. History Founding The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford was founded in 1963, in response to a shortage of higher education institutions in the North central / Northwestern region of Pennsylvania. While Pennsylvania State University had previously offered courses in Bradford in 1933 and 1948, these arrangements lasted only a year and, at the time of Pitt Bradford’s establishment, there were no opportunities for tertiary learning in the surrounding six-county area. To address this void, local leaders reached out to University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) Chancellor Edward Litchfield, advocating for a permanent presence in the region. During the early correspondence, Litchfield was evaluating the feasibility of several sites in Western Pennsylvania with the goal of increasing the University’s footprint. Pitt had previous success establishing extension centers and junior colleges, particularly the Johnstown Junior College in Cambria County in 1927, a model which served as the inspiration for the Penn State commonwealth campuses, and which the Litchfield administration now planned to incorporate into Pitt’s expansion. Among Pitt’s primary concerns were both the interest of local communities in maintaining and financially supporting a regional campus. Once the University leadership settled on Bradford and two other locations, Litchfield’s administration worked with officials in the Bradford area to acquire funding and facilities for the new venture (including classrooms, dormitories, and a library), as well as new faculty. To support the college’s establishment and growth, local philanthropists and businesses exceeded the University’s fundraising target by more than thirty percent. The first class arrived in Fall 1963 and consisted of 143 full-time and 145 part-time students. A private university since its founding, the University of Pittsburgh became a state-related institution in 1966 upon joining the Commonwealth System of Higher Education. This affiliation provided access to public funding, which was used in part to help expand the campus and programs at Pitt Bradford. While the college was originally located in Bradford’s downtown area, it moved in the 1970s to its current location just outside the city limits, putting down roots on land collectively donated by Witco-Kendall Corporation, the City of Bradford, and Bradford Township. 1980 to present Initially a two-year institution for students intending to transfer to the Pittsburgh campus, Pitt Bradford received baccalaureate degree-granting status in 1979. Under the leadership