Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences

[6][7] Thus the SAS began its life as a preparatory school, presumably in a log cabin, in what is now downtown Pittsburgh, which was then on the frontier of the United States.

[1]: 27  Within a short period, more advanced education in the area was needed, so in 1819 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amended the school's 1787 charter to confer university status.

[8] By the 1830s, the school faced severe financial pressure to abandon its traditional liberal education in favor of the state legislature's desire for it to provide more vocational training.

The decision to remain committed to liberal education nearly ended the university, but it persevered despite its abandonment by the city and state.

[9] Similar pressure to abandon the liberal arts focus of the school occurred again between 1902 and 1908 when industrial development in the region was attracting more students to technical trades.

Financial pressure mounted to abandon the traditional liberal arts curriculum and focus on more vocational training, but petitions from students, alumni, faculty and some trustees kept the original mission intact.

The Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh , the primary home of the School of Arts and Sciences. In September 2011, a large banner was hung from the Cathedral's 16th to 5th floor announcing the name change for the school. [ 3 ]
Entrance to Clapp Hall , part of the Clapp/Langley/Crawford Complex that houses the school's Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Neuroscience
The Nicholas Lochoff Cloister of the Frick Fine Arts Building , home to the school's Department of Studio Arts and Architectural Studies Program
Wesley W. Posvar Hall
Commons Room in the Cathedral of Learning