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Director´s Update
2012 marked the 40th anniversary of the University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR). It seems appropriate to pause for a moment and briefly reflect upon some of the people and events that have had a strong influence in shaping the organization as it exists today.
The center was established in 1972 as the
University Center for Urban Research
(UCUR) with a mandate to "bring
together, in an organized and integrated
fashion, the many research activities
and some of the service activities of the
University of Pittsburgh which focus on
urban phenomenon." Drs. Brian Vargus
and Clyde McDaniel served as founding
codirectors.
In 1973, Dr. Jiri Nehnevajsa assumed
the role of director, expanding the
programmatic areas of research
within the center and establishing
the foundation for the development
of the survey research program. In
1978, Dr. Vijai Singh accepted an
appointment as director of UCUR. Through
a series of discussions with
a great many members of the faculty,
it became clear that the University
needed a high quality, multidisciplinary
social science research facility with a
strong quantitative methodological
orientation. This organization was to
assist the University in fulfilling its
urban mission by undertaking social and
policy-oriented research and providing
technical assistance to local governments
and community organizations. Thus,
in November 1978, with the approval
of the Program Policy Committee, the
chancellor, and the provost, the center
was renamed the University Center for
Social and Urban Research (UCSUR),
and its mission was expanded.
I was recruited to the University of
Pittsburgh in 1984 to serve as director of
gerontology, a University-wide position
with the goal of developing research
on aging throughout the University. With
appointments in the Department
of Psychiatry and UCSUR, I had the
privilege of helping to build a research
capacity in aging that is second to none
among U.S. universities. Having UCSUR
as a home base for these initiatives was
a key factor in achieving these successes. My
commitment to the mission and
goals of the center have grown over the
years as my administrative responsibilities
increased when I became associate
director of the center in 1988 and
director in 1999.
The center has undergone many
changes over the last 40 years. It now
occupies its seventh different campus
location, as we continue to expand. Over
the years, countless faculty from
different disciplines have participated
in UCSUR´s research programs. While
certain research areas, such as urban and
regional analysis, have been a part of
the center since its inception, the center
continues to expand into new areas of
inquiry reflecting the research interests
of the faculty. Over the years, programs
have included Risk and Emergency
Management, Environmental Policy Studies,
Generations Together, Office
of Child Development, Gerontology,
Survey Research, and more recently GIS
and Visual Analytics, and Qualitative
Data Analysis. A major achievement of
the last decade has been to put in place
a permanent research infrastructure with
the capacity to conduct all types of survey
research; carry out regional econometric
modeling; obtain, format, and analyze
spatial data; acquire, manage, and analyze
large secondary data sets; and carry out
computer qualitative analysis. These
services are used by faculty from every
school of the University and provide a
platform for training graduate students
and postdoctoral fellows, and mentoring
junior faculty and serving the community.
The center continues to aggressively
pursue other opportunities to enhance
its research infrastructure, broaden the
range of support services available to
faculty and the community, expand the
participation of faculty and graduate
students in center research programs,
and strengthen University-community
collaborations. The center serves as the
interdisciplinary crossroads for schools
throughout the University and has
become a major resource in mentoring
and supporting the research careers of
junior faculty and postdoctoral students.
I am particularly proud of the academic
productivity of the center. Staff of the
center have been involved in hundreds
of externally funded research projects
and peer-reviewed publications, have
published more than a dozen books, and
have received major national awards for
their achievements.
To all the faculty, staff, and students
who make this center a vital part of the
University community, I express my
deepest and sincerest thanks.
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May 25, 2013
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