MEDIA ADVISORY / PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Pitt Hosts International Student Conference

PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh is hosting the annual international conference of the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH) from May 31 to June 2 at locations throughout the Pittsburgh campus. 

The student-run conference has attracted approximately 2,800 students representing more than 400 schools from across the United States and other nations, among them Canada, China, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. Delegates will take part in more than 300 student-presented programs covering topics such as leadership, community building, diversity, staff development, and much more.  

“We are honored to host this prestigious conference that beckons student leaders from around the globe,” said University of Pittsburgh Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kathy Humphrey.  “I am proud of the student leaders in Pitt’s Office of Residence Life who have worked countless hours during the past two years to bring this marquee event to Pittsburgh. I congratulate our students on organizing such a dynamic conference that will expose their peers from around the world to an experience rich with programming, ideas, and leadership that will not only make them better individually, but enhance life on their campuses and in their communities as well.”

During the conference, participants will partner with the service organization Tree Pittsburgh to perform community-service projects in Pittsburgh neighborhoods such as the Strip District and East Liberty from noon to 3 p.m. May 31. They will attend a Dave and Andy’s Ice Cream Social on the William Pitt Union lawn from 10 to 11:30 p.m. May 31. On June 1 between 8 and 9:30 p.m., conference attendees will attempt to break a Guinness world record—the largest group to do a choreographed robot dance—at the Petersen Events Center. 

Pitt senior Jacob Korb, who is serving as the NACURH conference chair, said, “We are really looking forward to showcasing our campus and helping the students in attendance to fully engage in advancing NACURH’s mission of promoting on-campus living and the benefits it can provide for students. It will be especially rewarding to see the conference attendees enjoying the programs and having the opportunity to network and share ideas that they can take back to their campus communities.”

“We are also excited that 2,800 delegates, many of whom will be considering graduate school and deciding where to live and work after college, will be exposed to our graduate and professional schools, as well as the city that we love so much,” Korb added. “We are honored to have been selected to serve as the host site.”

Each year NACURH holds a rigid bidding process in which universities compete for the honor of hosting the next conference. Pitt was chosen to serve as the host site in June 2012 after a student committee presented a bid which included a 150-page proposal, a video, and a 30-minute presentation at last year’s NACURH conference in Boulder, Colo. Other finalists included the University of Southern California, the University of Montana, and Kent State University.  

“The Residence Life students and staff working on the conference planning team have gone above and beyond this past year,” said University of Pittsburgh Interim Director of Residence Life Kathleen Kyle.  “Each member of the team has done a phenomenal job, whether they were creating a budget proposal or putting together the program schedule. This thoughtful and creative process has already been rewarding in so many ways, and the staff in Student Affairs has been so impressed by the talents of the ambitious students that have made this happen.”

“This has turned out to be a two-year process: one year to prepare for the bidding competition back in June and another year to plan for the upcoming event in May,” said Korb. “Through this Outside the Classroom Learning Experience, more than 30 students were able to grow as leaders just by undergoing the planning process for this year’s conference. Each student has tailored his or her experience to something useful in their future career paths.”

For more information about this year’s NACURH conference visit www.nacurh2013.com or 

contact Jacob Korb at nacurh2013.chair@gmail.com.

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5/31/13/amm/cjhm