Dr. Steven E. Hardin, vice president and dean of academic affairs at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, will retire at the end of this month, having served the university for 16 years and overseen the implementation of more than 20 new academic programs.
Hardin came to Pitt-Bradford in 2004 from Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., where he had served a number of roles, including professor, chairman of the school of natural science and interim president. When Hardin came to Pitt-Bradford, he and Dr. Livingston Alexander, who had been president of Pitt-Bradford for a year, undertook an ambitious plan to start programs to increase enrollment and prepare students for jobs with bright outlooks.
Those programs included exercise science, accounting, environmental studies and eight education majors. Programs such as administration of justice and computer science were reconfigured as criminal justice and computer information systems and technology. Hardin oversaw the creation of the Crime Scene Investigation House and several labs modeled on its success for counseling psychology and nursing.
Additionally, 15 new minors added under Hardin allow students to pursue a second or third interest in a way that shows up on their college transcript in areas such as expertise in marketing, finance, graphic design or Africana studies.
“During Steve’s 16 years at Pitt-Bradford, the university’s academic offerings nearly doubled, which has given our students a greater array of academic experiences,” said Dr. Catherine Koverola, Pitt-Bradford’s president. “We are grateful to Steve for all he has done for Pitt-Bradford and wish him well in his retirement.”
In addition to overseeing the addition of academic programs, Hardin also played a role in renovating and designing the physical space occupied by academics on campus. He served on the leadership teams for the renovation of the university’s first two academic buildings – Swarts and Fisher Halls. He also contributed to the design for a new building that will be home to two new engineering programs – mechanical engineering technology and energy engineering technology – as well as existing programs computer information systems and technology and petroleum technology.
Hardin also took part in the development of new programs to help students succeed in college, such as Pitt-Bradford’s federally sponsored TRIO Student Support Services, Academic Coaching and Tutoring Center, Writing Center, Math Center, Advising Center and the Summer Bridge Program, which helps students make the transition to college.
Hardin plans to return to Louisville, where he was born and raised, and where his grown sons are raising his grandchildren. He’d like to spend some more time in his wood shop and gardening, a natural new hobby for a biologist.
Hardin earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and zoology from the University of Louisville before obtaining master’s and doctoral degrees in biology and biochemistry from the University of Kansas. As a professor, Hardin specialized in genetics and gene expression.
During his time in Bradford, Hardin served the larger community as a trustee for the Bradford Area Public Library, an officer of the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Kiwanis Club of Bradford. He and his wife, Ingrid, were also dedicated to maintaining their restored Victorian home on School Street.
“I will miss everyone,” he said. “The faculty have been wonderful. They work hard. They’re creative and insightful. And the staff here is incredible, and the students are a joy.”
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