Pitt Announces New Assistant Vice Chancellor for Community Engagement Centers

PITTSBURGH—Lina D. Dostilio has been appointed assistant vice chancellor for community engagement centers at the University of Pittsburgh. Dostilio will join the Office of Community and Governmental Relations in January. Prior to her appointment at Pitt, she held the role of director of the Center for Community-Engaged Teaching and Research at Duquesne University.

“Reimagining community engagement is a critical component of our University’s strategic plan,” said Senior Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Chief of Staff Kathy Humphrey. “Lina is a nationally recognized expert in community-engaged academics, research, and service initiatives, and we are incredibly pleased to have her as a part of our team as we continue to reimagine—and enhance—our University’s community engagement strategy.”

“Our communities know and trust Lina. Her collaborative and strategic approach to community engagement is exactly what we were looking for,” said Paul Supowitz, vice chancellor for community and governmental relations. “She has demonstrated experience as a dynamic leader who builds and strengthens partnerships between universities and communities and creates win-win outcomes.”

“I'm thrilled to be joining this effort. I was attracted by the desire I saw, at every level of the University, to do this work in partnership with the residents, organizations, and leaders of our neighborhoods. That the University reflected on its significant community involvement and outreach and said, ‘We can do this even better,’ is a testament to their commitment to Pittsburgh and the region,” said Dostilio.

“The Community Engagement Centers will focus and coordinate the many service-learning programs and research projects already underway in these communities and will also create new and innovative partnership opportunities between the University and the neighborhoods. When we look at community-university engagement practices across the nation, taking a neighborhood-embedded approach is leading-edge thinking. I’m proud to be part of the team doing this at Pitt.”

In her role at Duquesne University, she facilitated teaching and research collaborations that involved university stakeholders in public problem solving across an array of social and environmental issues.

Dostilio is currently the Scholar in Residence directing the Campus Compact’s Project on the Community Engagement Professional, a national research project staffed by 19 research fellows across the country. She is a team member of the Next Generation Engagement Project and was an invited member of the civic learning roundtable discussions held by the U.S. Department of Education. Dostilio has also served as past-chair of the Board of Directors of the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement and is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement. She frequently consults with campuses that seek to institutionalize civic engagement, build their community engagement infrastructure, and develop innovative partnership models.

Dostilio earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology at The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Education in educational studies and Doctorate of Education in interdisciplinary educational leadership at Duquesne University.

###

12/16/16/klf/jm