Dec. 15, 2007

   PITTSBURGH--The Pitt Athletic Department's effort to develop the total student-athlete was strengthened in a major way today with the announcement of two major financial gifts that will assist both staffing and programming in this vital area.

   The "Panther Game Plan Life Skills Program," which is geared toward the academic, athletic, personal and professional development of Pitt student-athletes, will be the beneficiary of the two generous donations, one from the Hearst Foundation and another from an anonymous former student-athlete. 

   As a result of the gifts, Pitt Athletics will be able to add two full-time staff members who will focus on such Panther Game Plan initiatives as student-athlete career development, community service, leadership and academic achievement. Two former Pitt student-athletes, Penny Semaia and Charles Small, who previously served in part-time roles, will be elevated to full-time athletic department staff members. Semaia and Small were both heavily involved in the life skills program's rapid development over the last two years.

   In addition to the promotion of Semaia and Small, the monetary gifts will also make possible the construction of the Hearst Life Skills Resource Center within the Petersen Events Center.

   Semaia, a member of Pitt's football team from 1999-2003, will serve as Director of Life Skills. He previously served in both athletics and Pitt's Career Services office, helping students with internships, job search strategies and establishing contacts with employers and faculty.

   Small, a member of the basketball team from 2002-06, has been named Assistant Director of Life Skills. He has been working as a life skills intern the last two years, focusing on student-athlete community service and the basketball and football teams' Children's Hospital Honorary Captain program.

   Semaia and Small will oversee Pitt's enhanced life skills programming efforts that will include a Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series, a Pitt Ambassadors Peer Training program, a Scholar-Athlete Advancement Program, public speaking training, a Sportsmanship and Leadership Summit, enhancements to the Panther Leadership Academy and more focused small group and one-on-one support for Pitt student-athletes.

   "We are tremendously appreciative of the Hearst Foundation and our anonymous donor for their incredible generosity and investment in our life skills program," Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson said. "We are wholeheartedly dedicated to the total development of our young men and women. Thanks to these gifts, we are able to make an even greater impact on the educational experiences of our student-athletes and prepare them for productive lives after Pitt.

   "We are all so proud of Penny and Charles," Pederson continued. "They are shining examples of our student-athletes succeeding in all areas of their life."

   "I am very grateful for the opportunities that Pitt has provided for me as a student-athlete and now as a young professional," said Semaia, a 2003 Pitt graduate with a bachelor's in anthropology. "To work for a university that believes in the full development of their students is truly an honor. I would like to thank Donna Sanft and Steve Pederson for their support. Through their leadership and support, the potential of the Panther Game Plan Life Skills Program is limitless."

   "My experiences at the University of Pittsburgh have been astronomical," said Small, who earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in social work from Pitt and is currently pursuing a doctorate in higher education management. "I am so fortunate to have attended an institution that truly values the student experience. The Pitt Athletic Department is committed to fully developing student-athletes and I am very proud to say that I am a product of their dedication. I would like to thank Donna Sanft and Steve Pederson for committing to programming that is focused on the student-athlete's well-being."

   Established at Pitt in 1995, the Panther Game Plan Life Skills Program is part of the NCAA CHAMPS initiative with a mission to create a comprehensive academic, athletic and personal development program for all student-athletes at the University of Pittsburgh.

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