BRADFORD, Pa. — University of Pittsburgh at Bradford published and presented and painted on teacher retention in rural schools and greenwashing and other topics this summer and fall.

Dr. Jonathan Chitiyo, professor of special education, along with Dr. William Clark, assistant professor of secondary education, and Dr. Salma Shaik, assistant professor of computer information systems, co-authored “An Examination of the Predictors of Teacher Retention in Rural Pennsylvania Schools,” published in Educational Studies.

The study surveyed 90 teachers across three Pennsylvania Intermediate Units to identify what keeps educators in rural classrooms amid a statewide teacher shortage.

Findings showed that school-level structural support such as adequate facilities, financial incentives and career advancement opportunities, were a significant predictor of whether teachers stayed in their positions, along with gender: male teachers were significantly more likely to remain than their female colleagues. The researchers say the findings offer practical direction for districts working to strengthen rural teacher recruitment and retention.

Clark also published a book review for the American Association of School Administrators. He reviewed “A Blueprint for Teacher Retention: Leading Schools that Teachers Don’t Want to Leave” by James A. Bailey.

Dr. Rafael Rocha Alves, assistant professor of sport and recreation management, earned his Ph.D. in sport management from Texas A&M University. His dissertation was “Understanding Greenwashing in Sport.”

Additionally, he published two articles: “From Image to Impact: Scoping Review of Sportswashing and Greenwashing in Sport” in the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics and “Beyond the Pitch: Sportswashing and Nation-Building in the Latin American World Cup Media” in Third World Quarterly.

He also presented his research paper “From Authenticity to Trust: A Moderated Mediation Examination of Skepticism, Team Identification and Greenwashing Perceptions in Sport” at the 2026 North American Society for Sport Management conference in Puerto Rico.

Rick Minard, visiting assistant professor of art, painted a 35-foot by 75-foot mural honoring veterans with Greg Souchick in downtown Smethport. The pair also hosted a unique event at their art gallery, Allegheny Mountain Arts in downtown Bradford. Phlash Phelps Day brought the Siriux XM oldies’ disc jockey to town to pose with a previous mural the pair had painted in his honor. Phelps, Minard and Souchick signed prints of the mural, and Phelps took photos with the mural and fans.

Dr. Hadi Noori, assistant professor of engineering, has been selected as part of the fifth cohort of the American Society for Engineering Education’s Engineering for One Planet Mini-Grant Program. The $8,000 grant will help Noori integrate social and environmental sustainability learning outcomes into engineering curricula.

Dr. Nancy McCabe, professor emerita, had essays appear in New Ohio Review, North American Review, Short Reads, and Under the Sun. Her poetry was published in Nine Mile and Northern Appalachian Review.

McCabe directed her play, “The Pamela Papers,”at the Lit Youngstown (Ohio) Festival. The play was an adaptation of her book by the same title.  She also presented with Yuko Tomoto from Yokohama (Japan) College of Commerce at the L.M. Montgomery Conference on Prince Edward Island called “Anne of Green Gables and the Second Language Self.”

Additionally, she was a visiting writer at Kane middle and high schools working with students on the community-wide Rain Poetry Project. Her middle grade novel “Fires Burning Underground” is currently a finalist for the Kansas Authors award for middle grade fiction.