Chancellor selects Spittler for staff excellence award

University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg has selected Dr. Holly J. Spittler of Bradford as a recipient of the 2014 Chancellor’s Award for Staff Excellence in Service to the University.

Spittler is the associate dean of student affairs and director of career services at Pitt-Bradford.

She is one of four staff members university-wide to receive the award this year, which was created to recognize staff members who make a significant impact on the university through their commitment and performance.

The Chancellor’s Award for Staff Excellence is the highest honor a staff member can receive. Spittler will be recognized during Honors Convocation at the University of Pittsburgh Feb. 28.

While Spittler was originally nominated for her service to the community, the selection committee has honored her for staff excellence in service to the university. Her leadership benefits many Bradford organizations, including Bradford Area Public Library’s One Book Bradford, the American Association of University Women, the YWCA, Futures Rehabilitation Center and the Girl Scouts of Western Pa. However, Nordenberg noted that the committee was “struck by the positive impact you have had on our students in terms of their academic performance, helping them to determine their career paths, and instilling in them your own commitment to service.”

Several former students, one now a judge, credited her guidance and support as crucial to their success. Spittler has given special attention to nontraditional students, working with her counterparts at institutions in other states to develop Adult Learners on Campus, a student-run association that resulted in a series of conferences on the needs of adult learners. She has served as an advisor to the Nontraditional Student Association since her arrival on campus.

Spittler is also active with campus events and groups and holds leadership roles with the One World Cultural Festival and the Friends of Hanley Library. She was instrumental in establishing a chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta, the first academic honorary at Pitt-Bradford, and was the catalyst for bringing the Empty Bowls and Baskets Dinner to campus.

Spittler came to Pitt-Bradford in 1981 as director of career planning and placement. She holds a doctoral degree in higher education from the University of Pittsburgh; a Master of Arts in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor of Science in American Studies from Bowling Green.

Previous Pitt-Bradford staff members honored by the chancellor for service to the university are Christina Graham (2012), Patty Colosimo (2010), James Baldwin (2009), Donald Johnson (2006) and Rhett Kennedy (2003). In 2008, Pete Buchheit was honored by the chancellor for service to the community.

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