Pitt Board of Trustees Approves Naming of Regional Campus Facilities

PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh’s Board of Trustees have formally approved the naming of three University facilities at regional campuses. The naming recognitions honor the careers and contributions of renowned opera singer Marilyn Horne and the late U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha Jr.

The board renamed the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Seneca Building the Marilyn Horne Hall. It also renamed the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s Engineering and Science Building the John P. Murtha Engineering and Science Building and officially designated the John P. Murtha Center for Public Service and National Competitiveness, which will open in April 2017.

Located in downtown Bradford, Marilyn Horne Hall is an administrative facility currently housing Pitt–Bradford’s Division of Continuing Education and Regional Development, Center for Rural Health Practice and private tenants. In May, Pitt–Bradford plans to dedicate the Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibit Center on the facility’s ground floor. The museum will feature an assortment of artifacts and memorabilia that Horne has donated to the University.

A native of Bradford, Marilyn Horne is widely regarded as one of America’s premier mezzo-soprano opera singers. She has toured worldwide and has appeared on such notable programs as “The Carol Burnett Show,” “Sesame Street” and “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” Her career, spanning more than five decades, has been recognized with four Grammy Awards and induction into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.

The John P. Murtha Center for Public Service and National Competitiveness will provide programming that focuses on public policy, civic engagement, military service and economic development. It fulfills Pitt-Johnstown’s strategic goal of supporting participation and greater engagement in local and regional communities. The Murtha Center also will include an exhibit, where visitors can access the John P. Murtha Congressional Papers, a collection of Murtha’s personal documents and possessions that were donated to Pitt by his widow Joyce Murtha. The John P. Murtha Engineering and Science Building currently houses Pitt–Johnstown’s chemistry and engineering departments.

Prior to his death in 2010, John P. Murtha represented Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district, which includes the City of Johnstown, in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 35 years. He is the longest serving member of Congress in the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, most notably chairing the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. A Pitt alumnus, Murtha earned a bachelor’s degree in economics.

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