CGS - College of General Studies - University of Pittsburgh

Alumni Profile: Jim McCarl

The following story appeared in the Summer 2008 issue of Pitt Magazine.

A second chance pays off big

Written by Niki Kapsambelis
Photograph by Tom Altany

Awake since the predawn hours of a cold Western Pennsylvania morning, bleary-eyed from putting in a full day of work driving a truck for his father’s plumbing and heating business, Jim McCarl took his seat in the evening class beside people old enough to be his parents: housewives, business owners, day workers, and others who were motivated to get a college education by attending classes at night. He looked around, knowing he still had an hour’s drive home, meaning he would get in by 11 p.m. and hit the pillow for a few hours before his alarm went off at 5 a.m. for the next day’s work. And he had a thought: I am lucky to be here.

It wasn’t supposed to work out this way. McCarl—who was born Foster James McCarl III—had been a standout at Beaver Falls High School, graduating 16th in a class of 600, getting accepted at Brown University in his junior year, and opting instead to attend the University of Virginia on a football scholarship. But by 1968, the stars in McCarl’s future began to wink out.

“I wasn’t as focused on being a student as I should have been,” says McCarl now, diplomatically, about his exit from Mr. Jefferson’s university. “I just had too good a time and didn’t spend enough time with the books.”

The news didn’t get any better once he made his inauspicious return home. No college would take him, nor would any employer. Despite the Vietnam War, which was hitting its crescendo, even the military rejected him for service when his draft number came up. McCarl’s father relented and gave his son a job, but not without strings.

“My dad was very disappointed,” McCarl acknowledges. “I was the oldest son and had always done the right thing and always succeeded. He said, ‘You screwed up big time,’ and put me in the lowest job we had.” Adds McCarl: “That was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. It taught me a lot of lessons.”

His luck continued to improve when Pitt accepted him to night school. This time, McCarl made the most of his opportunity. He enrolled full time in the College of General Studies (CGS), while also holding down his full-time job. He earned a degree in economics in 1973. Though it was grueling, McCarl was determined to complete his education as soon as possible.

The elder McCarl recognized the reemergence of his son’s ambition, and they continued together in the family business, this time with the younger McCarl using his Pitt economics degree to build its success. By the 1980s, it had grown into one of the largest mechanical contractors in the United States, with multiple office locations. Jim sold his interests in 1999 and now serves as president of The McCarl Group, a business consulting firm. He remains grateful for the second chance that Pitt gave him. “My God, my wife, and my University made me the man I am today. I’ve never forgotten Pitt for that,” he says.

The University didn’t forget him, either. McCarl—who has received the CGS Distinguished Alumni Award and the Pitt Alumni Association’s Volunteer of the Year Award—is a University trustee and a Distinguished Alumni Fellow. In April, he became the new president of the Pitt Alumni Association. Among the many contributions he and his family have made over the years is the McCarl Center for Nontraditional Student Success on the fourth floor of the Cathedral of Learning, where students have a lounge, meeting rooms, and a resource library. Staff members assist nontraditional students with everything from developing study skills to exploring careers and finding financial aid.

McCarl’s own son, Foster J.J. McCarl, transferred to CGS from Syracuse University. He, too, contributed to the center’s establishment. And Jim McCarl and his wife, Carol, also funded the McCarl Hall of Champions in the Petersen Events Center. Though he did not play for Pitt himself, McCarl is a lifelong Panthers fan.“My dad was a season-ticket holder forever,” he says. “We enjoyed the history and the legacy.”

As for his plans at the helm of the alumni association, McCarl says he would like to focus on membership retention, customer service, and keeping communication lines open with alumni. “You have 265,000 alumni worldwide—that creates some opportunity. But it also creates some challenges in how you keep in contact with them,” he says. “Our footprint is getting broader, and we’re reaching out more and more.”