Peter Levins to Lead Pitt’s Rees-Chancellor’s Scholars Program

Following a competitive national search, the David C. Frederick Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh has named Peter Levins as the inaugural director of the Rees-Chancellor’s Scholars Program. He will lead the design and execution of a prestigious four-year curricular and co-curricular model for the program.

Levins joined the Frederick Honors College in 2024 as a national fellowships advisor. A two-time Fulbright awardee who holds dual bachelor’s degrees from Cornell University and a PhD from Brown University, Levins has taught at Pitt, Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design. As national fellowships advisor, he mentored Pitt students to numerous prestigious national honors — including Beinecke, Fulbright, Churchill and Gilman scholarships — while expanding applicant pipelines across the University’s Pittsburgh and regional campuses, an integral objective of the Plan for Pitt.

Levins’ appointment follows a transformative $30 million gift in November 2025 from alumnus Michael Rees (A&S ’97, ENGR ’97, FHC ’97) and his wife, Allison. The gift significantly expands Pitt’s historic Chancellor’s Scholarship — first established in the 1970s — into the renamed Rees-Chancellor’s Scholars Program. The gift funds full tuition and room and board for future cohorts of scholars alongside additional grants for global study, internships and research.

Under Levins’ leadership, the Rees-Chancellor’s Scholars Program will introduce a comprehensive four-year framework centered on leadership, service and high-impact discovery. Key programmatic expansions include:

• A signature co-curricular journey to the University of Oxford in England, alongside funded support and advising for international internships and study abroad opportunities.
• Direct pairing with faculty mentors starting as early as a scholar’s first semester to guide hands-on research, scientific communication, symposium presentations and authorship.
• Personalized advising to prepare scholars for competitive national awards such as the Goldwater, Truman, Fulbright, Marshall and Rhodes scholarships.
• Leveraging the program’s strong alumni network and outside partners for skill-based workshops and individual coaching to translate academic theory into real-world civic and industry leadership.

“Peter distinguished himself through a compelling vision for the future of the Rees-Chancellor's Scholars Program as the nation's premier merit scholars program,” said Nicola Foote, dean of the David C. Frederick Honors College. “His deep commitment to student mentorship and international scholarship makes him the ideal leader to guide our scholars as they prepare for lives of purpose and global impact.”

“I’m honored to be selected to lead the reimagining and expansion of a longstanding and respected Pitt scholarship tradition,” said Levins. “I look forward to building upon an incredibly strong foundation to create an intentional, supportive four-year environment where our scholars can reach beyond traditional academic boundaries to solve the most pressing real-world problems.”

Pitt’s undergraduate application is currently open, and prospective students should submit a completed application to both the University and the Frederick Honors College by the Dec. 1 priority deadline for consideration as a Rees-Chancellor’s Scholars candidate. Prospective students can visit the Rees-Chancellor’s Scholars Program website to learn more.