The city of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh have a lot in common. They both have vowels, consonants and the word "Pittsburgh" in them. But they are different according to almost every other comparison you can think of. But that's obvious right? I mean, how can a city and a university compare to each other? Well, in this case, the city ends up looking like that pathetic older brother that can't seem to get in gear and just get a job and move out.
Also, the city is in dire financial straits, while the University is reporting vast revenues and expansive growth at a time where the city is actually decreasing in total population (with much of the reduction caused by flight to the suburbs and the considerable drain of fleeing graduates).
Let's see how the two measure up (According to Financial releases and figures provided by the federal and local governments)
Pitt operating budget Fiscal Year 2007: $1,448,745,000 or $1,477,250,000 because of projected expenses
Number of University Employees (Main Campus Only): 10,030 of all categories
Total Assets of University (2006): $2,642,746,000
Total Liability of University (2006): $1,217,007,000
Net Increase in Assets from last year to present: $271,582,000
These numbers of course can really only be understood if you have been following University news. Readers of The Pitt News will of course know about the University's massive fundraising campaign and pledge to renovate its campuses. And all signs point to continued growth and expansion for this public-related University.
But the city, on the other hand, has been struggling for fiscal solvency amidst rising pension liability and a bleeding of population.
City of Pittsburgh Fiscal 2007 Operating Budget: $425,657,607
Increase in revenues over last year: $1,843,771
Size of Population: 325,337 people
Percent change in population since 2000: -2.8 Percent
Population below poverty line (2000): 20.4 Percent
Number of Employees (All of Allegheny County): 7,215 (Based on Federal 2002 Census)
(Sorry, I couldn't get a hold of Pittsburgh's debt liability, since cities really aren't supposed to have debt.)
Pitt's revenues grew 250 times more than the city's over the course of one year, while Pitt has more employees than all of Allegheny county, and although it has liability, it is relatively healthy compared with the size of its budget. So hands down, Pitt wins.
But you can obviously see the differences. Of course, you say. The University is an institution better able to manage itself than an entire city, and it makes more because it draws in revenue from various locations. And I say, of course, but I just wanted to get that information out there. So next time you hear about disputes between the city and the University (And they will be increasing) you will understand the financial situations of the two.
Pitt doesn't want to be dragged down with the city, and the city feels that Pitt should give more back. But of course, Pitt doesn't have an aging population while the city does. So living inside the Pitt part of the city will seem an entirely different experience than living somewhere else, and Pitt will try to keep it that way.
So I have provided the information and the context, what do you all think?
2 comments:
As far as Pitt giving more back to the city, I agree. I think Pitt does a good job already of making the various cultural elements of the city accessible to its students, with the exception of the student discount being suspended during the summer at most museums and such. (Just a personal pet peeve - there are still students here during the summer and this is really the best/only time to actually take a step back and appreciate the amazing art and exhibits at such places.) Also, with the use of student IDs as bus passes, the entire city itself and surrounding areas are highly accessible to every Pitt student. That is an invaluable asset, not only for kids who don't have cars and can go practically anywhere, but also for the random bus adventure and those days when one simply just needs to get the hell out of Oakland. But here's the thing: how much effort does the University itself make in providing its students opportunities to invest themselves in Pittsburgh: the city, the people, the surrounding areas, the culture, etc.? I'm sure there are more ways the University could help students to interact with the city, such as discounts at local businesses (especially mom-and-pop type shops), more PR for community events happening outside of Oakland, and maybe even making it mandatory for every student to take an urban-studies-type class or a history of Pittsburgh class. I don't know how realistic that would be, but the idea is to make students at least become aware of their surroundings. A personal favorite would be to implement more of a push for students to volunteer in local organizations. There are tons of opportunities and tons of need in this city for people to help out; Pitt should become seriously involved in PR and man-power support of such non-profit directives. We already have Alternative Spring Break; why not focus some of that attention to our own city? Really, the best way for Pitt to give back to the city is to make sure its students get out of Oakland, and I don't mean just to take a trip to the Waterfront. Some kids never leave the four-block radius between Forbes and Fifth. If Pitt integrated itself into more of the city, mainly through its student population (in a formal sense), then perhaps more students will come to appreciate the 'Burgh enough to stay put after graduation. That could certainly help with the current population loss, right? The point is that Pitt is the only university in the city with "Pittsburgh" in its title. CMU doesn't have it; Duquesne has a prison across from it, and most people don't even know how to pronounce it anyway. Our school is not the University of Oakland or the University of That Really Tall Cathedral-Looking Building. It's the University of Pittsburgh and thus it should make a more prominent effort, to both its students and the city's inhabitants, to fully integrate itself as such.
Students should take the initiative, not wait for Pitt to do everything for them, including tying their shoes.
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