Before Registering:

If your institution IS a member of NCHC:
Unless you hold a current NCHC Institutional or Professional membership, you must sign up as a "Contact" to be affiliated with your institution and receive member pricing for event registration. Sign up as a Contact Here

If your institution is NOT a member of NCHC:
Please proceed as a "Guest". Members receive a 50% discount on all NCHC event registrations - contact the NCHC Office for more details on joining!

Download Institute Brochure

INSTITUTE AT A GLANCE

Participants of this institute will read fiction and nonfiction works about the City of Bridges; explore various neighborhoods and make connections – both physical and psychological; investigate the physical landscape of the city and how it impacts community-making; travel through the “Gateway of the West” to the “Smoky City” and arrive in the glitz of the technology boom currently happening; and meet in seminars to discuss readings and compare written versions of their impressions. A range of locations will be explored through direct observations, interviews, and mapping exercises, as well as through group discussion and personal writing assignments. The Institute will culminate with a workshop on adaptations of Place as Text methodology to participants’ home campuses and to residential travel programs or academic service-learning immersion projects.

The Bridging the Gaps: Pittsburgh Institute is designed for honors and non-honors faculty and administrators who wish to incorporate interdisciplinary and field-based elements into their courses and programs. Alumni of earlier NCHC Institutes have used City as Text™ pedagogy in disciplines ranging from the arts and social sciences to math and science. Ideal as integrative learning modalities, these experiential strategies include reflective practices and writing assignments that can be adapted for use in student orientations, campus assessments, and professional development workshops. Identifying and transferring principles of integrative experiential learning are important goals of this Institute. 

INSTITUTE SCHEDULE

Participants should arrive in Pittsburgh by 2:30 pm on Wednesday, June 21, 2023.

• Wednesday, June 21:
  Orientation at the hotel; first impressions exploration of Oakland; evening debrief at Primanti’s (or other local restaurant) followed by individual writing time.
  
  
• Thursday, June 22:
  Participants will explore two different neighborhoods (Observation 1 and 2), like Squirrel Hill, Downtown, North End, Bloomfield, Shadyside, South side, Washington Heights and more. Reconvene at the hotel for a seminar before breaking for dinner followed by individual writing time.groups followed by writing time.
  
  
• Friday, June 23:
  Day 2 of our explorations take us to various parts of the city where connections are beginning to be made. From Mount Washington to Highland Park, participants will be immersed in the patchwork of cultures that make up the city. (Turning Point Reflective Essay)
  
  
• Saturday, June 24:
  Morning investigation of the Strip District, followed by workshop on adaptations of Place as Text methodology to participants’ home campuses; final dinner at a local restaurant.
  
  
• Sunday, June 25:
  Participants depart Pittsburgh.

COSTS AND DEADLINES

PROGRAM FEE: $750 (includes non-refundable $50 fee)
REGISTRATION & PAYMENT DEADLINE: May 16, 2023

This cost covers Institute reading materials, instructional fees, local transportation, final group dinner, and incidental charges. It does not include travel to and from Pittsburgh, PA, accommodations, or most meals.

TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATIONS

Pittsburgh is accessible by plane (PIT) or car. Information for transportation from airport to lodging will be provided by facilitators after registration. 

NCHC has a room block reserved at Hampton Inn & Suites Pittsburgh-Downtown for June 20, 2023 through June 25, 2023. Room rate through this block is $189/night. Booking your room is simple, just click the link below and select "Book a Room" to receive your group's preferred rate. Room reservations must be made by May 25, 2023 to receive the group rate.

Make your Room Reservation

FACILITATORS

Jessi Znosko, Longwood University
Leslie Heaphy, Kent State University at Stark
Paul Benowitz, Elizabethtown CollegeElizabethtown College

Refunds

All requests for refunds MUST be submitted in writing to the national office and RECEIVED no later than 11:59 PM CST by the dates listed below. Telephone requests WILL NOT be honored. Written requests for refunds will be processed as follows:

• Received by April 17:              Full refund, less a $350 per person administrative fee
• Received on/after April 17:     No Refunds