The School of Public and International Affairs’ advising model for graduate students is designed to offer holistic support by distinguishing between the types of advising.
- Faculty advisors help you envision your future—career choices, professional networks, research opportunities, and personal strengths.
- Academic advisors ensure you stay on track—meeting deadlines, credit rules, enrollment procedures, institutional expectations and support resources around Pitt.
Together, the advisors form a coordinated support system: one helps you know where you’re headed; the other helps you manage how you get there.
SPIA faculty advisors are dedicated to nurturing your academic and professional journey—not just overseeing paperwork. They engage with you personally, listen attentively, ask thoughtful questions, and offer early support if challenges emerge. Their focus is on helping you identify strengths, set long-term goals, and grow.
- Faculty notice signs of stress—academic, personal, or financial—and refer you to campus support services like counseling or financial aid when needed.
- Faculty make themselves approachable, in the classrooms, hallway check-ins, or office visits.
- They learn about your background, motivations, and values to help architect both short- and long-term plans.
- Faculty encourage professional development through networking opportunities, journals and, publication guidance.
- Faculty encourage connections with peers, alumni, external collaborators, and SPIA’s wider scholarly community.
Each student is assigned to a faculty advisor upon enrolling in SPIA.
SPIA’s academic advisor role is staffed by professional personnel whose primary responsibility is to help you navigate the administration and logistics at SPIA and across Pitt. These advisors ensure you meet program requirements and understand all the rules and procedures.
- Prepare and assist with course registration, degree audits, and program requirement planning.
- Explain timelines and administrative procedures (e.g., enrollment holds, add/drop deadlines, probation)
- Connect you to campus supports—career services, counseling, writing centers, financial aid, disability services
- Provide consistent guidance on university and SPIA policy, degree progression, and compliance.
- Serve as your primary contact for academic administration issues and first-line logistical support.
Academic advisors are assigned as follows:
Julie Korade
Academic Advisor for students with last names A-L
korade@pitt.edu
Kelly McDevitt
Academic Advisor for students with last names M-Z
mcdevitt@pitt.edu
Ombudsperson
The Ombudsperson assists graduate students with resolving conflicts and issues that arise in the course of their education and training that they believe have not or cannot be addressed within their academic department. The Ombudsperson can help mediate conflicts and provides information about institutional policies related to the student’s issues, including the University’s grievance procedures. The Ombudsperson directs students to further resources on campus as appropriate.
The Ombudsperson for SPIA is Renee Kidney, Academic Programs and Curriculum Manager. She can be contacted at rkidney@pitt.edu.
The roles of the Ombudsperson:
- Listen to graduate student concerns.
- Explain University and School policies.
- Explain the grade appeal process.
- Act as a neutral resource between graduate student and a faculty member or an individual with whom the student is experiencing an academic conflict with.
- Facilitate communication between and among individuals.
- Counsel faculty to minimize potential conflict.
- Coach graduate students on how to talk to faculty and staff.
- Refer individuals to others as necessary.
- Act as an informal resource to graduate students, faculty, and staff.
- Keep information confidential except as required by law or university policy, which includes Title IX issues.
The Ombudsperson does not:
- Change grades.
- Change policies.
- Take sides, but rather tries to facilitate a mutual understanding between differing points of view.
- Identify individuals without permission, except as required by law or University policy, which includes Title IX issues.
- Take part in formal grievance processes.