Jun. 27--The retired head of Westinghouse Electric Co. assumed the gavel Friday to lead the University of Pittsburgh's board of trustees.

The trustees unanimously approved Stephen R. Tritch, 60, as chair of the board. He succeeds retired state Supreme Court Justice Ralph J. Cappy, who died May 1.

From a Butler family of modest means, Tritch said he enrolled in Pitt soon after it became a state-affiliated university, a development that offered him financial help from the school and the state.

"I'm a prime example of someone who would not have been able to succeed to the extent I have without that kind of support," Tritch said at the board's meeting in Oakland.

Tritch earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Pitt in 1971 and an MBA in 1977. He joined the board of trustees in July 2007.

Tritch retired from the nuclear engineering firm Westinghouse in 2008 after 37 years. His tenure as president and CEO from 2002 to 2008 saw dramatic demand for new reactors in the United States and abroad, as global warming made nuclear energy an attractive option.

That growth prompted the Monroeville-based company to consider moving to larger headquarters out of state. But in March 2007 it opted to stay in the area, moving to Cranberry. The region's ability to train skilled workers was a key factor, he said.

"Having a strong institution like Pitt played a big part in that decision," Tritch said.

While Pitt is a job creator for the region, Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg said, so is Westinghouse, where Tritch still is chairman of the board.

"Westinghouse sits at the center of the revitalization of the region, too," Nordenberg said. "People ought to be very grateful to Steve for the role he played for keeping such an important growing employer here."

Pitt's board approved new trustees J. Brett Harvey, who is the CEO of Consol Energy Inc. and CNX Gas Corp.; and Martha Hartle Munsch, a partner in the law firm of Reed Smith. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Pitt in 1970.

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