July 1, 2022
Dear Colleagues,
I am very pleased to share with you that I have appointed Rick Esch to serve as president of Pitt-Bradford/Pitt-Titusville, effective July 1, 2022. As you may know, Rick has served as interim president since July 2021.
Rick began his career at Pitt-Bradford in 1995 as the director of auxiliary services. In 1999, he was named chief business and administrative affairs officer and was promoted to vice president for business affairs in 2003. In 2012, he was also named vice president for business affairs at Pitt-Titusville.
Rick has demonstrated deep commitment to Pitt-Bradford/Pitt Titusville’s students, faculty, and staff—and his focus on ensuring that the academic experience on campus is excellent and fulfilling comes from his own appreciation of the institution as a proud alum.
Among other transformative projects, Rick has championed the construction of the new George B. Duke Engineering and Information Technologies Building. Rick’s fundraising successes in support of the project have been truly impressive. The building—designed to be a place of innovation and discovery—will be home to engineering, computer information systems and technology, energy science and technology, and information systems.
During Rick’s tenure as interim president at Titusville, the Broadhurst Science Center was renovated and the Manufacturing Assistance Center (MAC) began offering a basic machinist certification course and graduated its first cohort in January 2022. A new certified medical assistant and phlebotomy course will begin July 18, which is being offered by the Brockway Center for Technology and the Arts, an affiliate of Manchester Bidwell Corporation.
In addition, Rick’s hard work and guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic was recognized in June 2021, when he received Pitt-Bradford’s Staff Recognition Award. In addition to overseeing several campus departments, including budget and financial reporting, auxiliary services, and facilities management, he has represented Pitt-Bradford and Pitt-Titusville on the Chancellor’s Resilience Steering Committee and has worked closely with Pitt’s COVID-19 Medical Response Office. He also has collaborated with local, regional, and state agencies, including the McKean County and Crawford County Emergency Management agencies, UPMC and Bradford Regional Medical Center.
The enduring community relationships Rick has built over many years are evident and far-reaching. He is a board member and immediate past chair of Journey Health System, is president and a charter member of the Tuna Valley Trail Association, a board member and managing director of the Bradford Educational Foundation, and a board member and vice president of the Bradford Economic Development Corp. He also is a member of the McKean County Advisory Board at Northwest Bank, a founding board member and treasurer of the McKean County Community Foundation, and a board member of the Community Foundation of the Upper Alleghenies. Previously he served as board chair of Journey Health System from 2009-16; was active in the Rotary Club, serving as past president, past Youth Exchange Officer and as a Paul Harris Fellow; was a member of the Steering Committee for Impact Bradford I and II; and was a member of the Steering Committee for Building a Better Bradford Economic Development Master Plan.
Rick holds a BS in Environmental Science from Pitt-Bradford and an Executive MBA from the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.
I am grateful to the thoughtful and deliberate work of the search committee, chaired by Vice Provost for Student Affairs Kenyon Bonner. I also deeply appreciate the engagement of the members of the Pitt-Bradford/Pitt-Titusville campuses for their perspectives. It has become clear that faculty, students, and staff enthusiastically support Rick’s continued leadership.
Please join me in congratulating Rick.
Best,
Ann
Ann E. Cudd
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor
Professor of Philosophy
University of Pittsburgh