As we move toward the close of the year, we are reminded that change is constant. This season, change is happening alongside uncertainty and strain. Many of us are feeling the impacts of government attacks on our human rights, including the right to education. These conditions have placed additional burdens on educators, students, and families who are already working hard to sustain spaces of belonging, inquiry, and care. We acknowledge these challenges and affirm that you are not navigating them alone. 

Over the past month, CUE has celebrated community and learning in multiple ways. Our Homecoming Writing Retreat and Block Party offered space for reflection, connection, and celebration. Drs. Mike Gunzenhauser and Mike Quigley and Dr. Khirsten Scott’s engaging and nourishing Food for Thought events reminded us that growth, transformation, and community building flourish when we take time to listen, reflect, and reconsider. In moments when our work and worth is questioned, our gatherings, relationships, and shared knowledge serve as reminders to us that this work matters. WE matter. 

I invite you to pause and acknowledge what we have faced together, the work we have accomplished, and the communities we continue to build. While this time of year can be busy and demanding, it is also full of possibilities. Our collective efforts in classrooms, research partnerships, community collaborations, and daily acts of care sustain the work of equity and justice in education. Thank you for being part of this CUE-mmunity, and for continuing to imagine what is possible even amid challenges. 

In CUE-mmunity, 

Lori Delale-O’Connor 
Interim Director, Center for Urban Education 

P.S. Please view events details and register below. Feel free to share with others!

The Center for Urban Education (CUE) invites graduate students and community educators to apply for affiliation with the Center as student fellows. We envision an active community of interdisciplinary scholars who engage in urban education concerns. Partnering with CUE provides fellows with the opportunity to build collaborative research, share, discuss, and develop ideas in urban education, foster and enrich collegiate teaching, and publish research and scholarly manuscripts.  
 
Please review the application form below

During Homecoming week, we launched our celebration with the first writing retreat of the year, Writing Home: Finding Your Place on the Page and closed with the bi-annual Fourth Floor Block Party. During the Block Party, students, faculty, and staff explored the resources and events offered by Africana Studies, the Center for Urban Education, the Office of Child Development, and the University Center for International Studies, including the Center for African Studies, the Center for Latin American Studies, and the Center for Ethnic Research Studies. It was wonderful to present alongside our fourth-floor neighbors and engage with students!  

In the second event in the Food for Thought series, Dr. Khirsten Scott engaged us in a dialog concerning the significance and impact of HBCU’s. Discussing her forthcoming book, Dr. Scott led us in critical discussion and created an engaging space for reflection. We are looking forward to the publication.

Tuesday, November 18, 2025
12 - 1:30 p.m.
4303 Posvar Hall (CUE Commons Room)

The Center for Urban Education is pleased to announce the next Food for Thought event, Creating a Worldview: Utilizing Historical/Archival Methods and Image Analysis for Black Studies and Beyond with Dr. Richard D. Benson! Dr. Benson's presentation explores the significance of triangulating primary data sources to develop historical scholarship in Black Studies. This talk highlights how utilizing photographic imagery in the data collection and writing process can enhance the development of historical narratives.

By utilizing archival data and image analysis tools, this presentation provides methodological insights for synthesizing primary sources, ultimately enriching critical historical scholarship. Join us on Tuesday, November 18th, from 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

As with every Food for Thought, a complimentary lunch will be served with RSVP.

Tuesday, December 2, 2025
12 - 1:30 p.m.
4303 Posvar Hall (CUE Commons Room)

The fourth and final Food for Thought talk of the Fall semester will feature the research of Dr. Sergio Gonzalaz, Assistant Professor in the department of Educational Foundations, Organizations, and Policy at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. 

As with every Food for Thought, complimentary lunch is provided. Please fill out the form below to let us know to expect you and for any food allergies or accommodations you need. More details to follow!

📆 SAVE THE DATE - Up next in the Food for Thought series: 

November 13 & 20 | December 4
10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. during the fall semester
4310 Posvar Hall (CUE)

FINALS LOCK IN: As the semester draws down, finals are fast approaching! Join us for a drop-in block designed to recharge, connect, and grow! Bring your lunch, meet friends, study, collaborate, or just take a break between classes. Open to all students! Come build community and make the CUE Commons your space for personal, academic, and professional growth. 

No RSVP necessary. See you there! 

Wednesday, December 3, 2025
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. ET
4303 Posvar Hall (CUE Commons Room)

Join us for a restorative, community-centered writing retreat as we approach the end of the semester and the close of the year. This gathering offers dedicated, uninterrupted time to focus on your writing projects, whether you are drafting, revising, or simply thinking on the page. We will begin with brief grounding and goal-setting, followed by blocks of quiet writing time and opportunities to share progress.

A complimentary lunch will be provided, offering space to connect and support one another. Come as you are, bring what you’re working on, and let’s close the year with clarity, care, and intention. Join us during the timeframe that works best for you!

Lunch will be served at 12pm. 

The STEM PUSH Network is working to create systemic change in the post-secondary admissions process by reinventing the relationship between pre-college STEM programs and higher education admissions offices. Housed at Pitt in the Be STEM Center, it is a great resource and learning community for pre-college STEM programs leadership and staff! 

To participate in the STEM PUSH Network, pre-college STEM programs must:

Learn more about STEM PUSH here; Check out their most recent newsletter here; and reach out to info@stempushnetwork.org for questions about how to join!  

A feel-good feature of the great work happening in a local school: Brashear High School in Pittsburgh.

City Paper Guide to Food Assistance Resources in Pittsburgh 

This guide offers details on food assistance across the Pittsburgh region, as well as ways to help our communities.

Allegheny County Department of Human Services  

Call, text, email or live chat with someone 365, 24/7 by dialing 211 or visiting pa211sw.org. Language services are available at no cost. 

Find a job or training for a career change. https://connect.alleghenycounty.us/employment-training/  

Find food or get a ride to an appointment. https://connect.alleghenycounty.us/food-transportation-and-other-essentials/ 

Find housing or stay in your home. https://connect.alleghenycounty.us/housing-shelter/ 

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank works to ensure that anyone who needs a healthy meal can get one.