GIFTS SUPPORT NEW MAKERSPACE AT THE EDUCATION & TRAINING CENTER AT PITT-TITUSVILLE

TITUSVILLE, Pa. – Significant gifts from two longtime benefactors of the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville and its Education & Training Center have supported the completion of a new makerspace on campus. 

Gifts from Jim and Suzy Broadhurst of Ligonier and Tom and Judy McKinney of Titusville made it possible for ETC to develop and equip a new makerspace that is located in the newly renovated J. Curtis McKinney II Student Union. 

The new makerspace, along with the other new and innovative spaces, was formally unveiled to the public during a ribbon cutting and campaign celebration last month. 

The new makerspace will give students, faculty and community members access to resources and innovative tools, including 3D printers, a CNC laser engraving and cutting machine, a CNC wood router, a band saw, and a wide variety of hand and power tools. 

Students in the makerspace will be able to design, develop prototypes and create projects across various disciplines.  

“We are deeply grateful to Jim and Suzy Broadhurst and Tom and Judy McKinney, who have been longtime champions, not only of our campus but of the greater Titusville community,” said Rick Esch, Pitt-Titusville’s president. 

“Their generous gifts have enabled us to provide a facility that will spark our students’ creativity and give them the tools and resources they need to bring their ideas to life and help them develop critical skills in a real-world environment.” 

     Last month, both Jim Broadhurst and Tom McKinney were awarded the Presidential Medal of Distinction for their longtime support of Pitt-Titusville, the first time the medal, the university’s highest honor, has been awarded to anyone from the Titusville campus. 

In addition to their generous and steadfast philanthropy, the two received the Presidential Medal in recognition of their guidance and leadership in serving as co-chairs of the campus’s capital campaign, which surpassed its $3 million goal.