Chancellor Patrick Gallagher (second from right) with alumni and co-founders of Altian Education: Rohit Anand, Joseph Kannarkat and Pat O’Donnell. Photo Courtesy, University of Pittsburgh
The issue of student loan debt is a growing concern of people entering the workforce. The University of Pittsburgh has come up with a program to address this problem on their own with the announcement of a new, innovative program called Panthers Forward.
The initiative, led by Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, will accommodate a group of seniors who will graduate from the University of Pittsburgh campus this spring. Upon graduation, they will each receive up to $5,000, which the University will pay directly toward their debt. Graduates will then pay it forward to other Pitt students who are following in their footsteps. Since the participants will be under no contractual obligation to repay the University, the success of the program hinges on mentorship and networking opportunities.
“Panthers Forward injects some much-needed innovation into the stagnant landscape of higher education financing,” says Chancellor Gallagher. “It’s a bold new approach that utilizes a pay-it-forward philosophy and the power of community to position students at the University of Pittsburgh for lifelong success.”
You can read more about the Panthers Forward program here.