Meet the 67-year-old Duquesne University police sergeant who will graduate from the school this weekend

Maddie Aiken / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Frank Cortazzo wears many hats: Police sergeant. School board member. Football coach. Father. Grandfather.

Soon, he’ll wear another: Duquesne University graduate.

But Mr. Cortazzo wasn’t a stranger to Duquesne before he began taking classes to earn his master’s degree in education administration at the Catholic school.

For decades, Mr. Cortazzo — known as “Sarge” to generations of students and professors — has patrolled Duquesne’s campus as the university’s daylight sergeant.

Now, Sarge is looking to step into a new role as an education advocate to support students’ mental health.

He’s seen how mental health issues can impact people during his policing career. But in recent years, he’s watched more and more college students struggle with mental illness — and he wants to find a solution to help them.

“I always wondered how an 18-year-old could develop all these issues… They seem mighty young to have mental health issues,” Mr. Cortazzo, 67, said. “I love police work. I love what I do. I love my job. I love where I work.

“I just want to tackle that mental health [issue]. I want to be able to do more for the kids that are going to college, but catch them in kindergarten, first grade, second grade.”

Mr. Cortazzo began working as a police officer at Duquesne in 1986. For 20 years, he has served as the university’s daylight sergeant — a role that includes giving daily assignments to campus officers, patrolling campus and conducting CPR and self-defense training.

Becoming a police officer wasn’t his “plan A” in life. The Wilmerding native initially wanted to become a gym teacher, and studied secondary education at West Liberty University, then West Liberty State College, in West Virginia.

But upon graduating in 1980, Mr. Cortazzo found there was a shortage of full-time education jobs available. That’s when he decided to enter law enforcement.

The itch for teaching and supporting students never went away, though. Mr. Cortazzo regularly teaches police officers and offers safety training to the public, and he has had several stints coaching high school football and wrestling over the years. He also currently serves as a South Allegheny School Board member, a role he was first elected to in 2019.

So when Sarge began thinking about retiring from Duquesne, he knew his next steps included supporting K-12 education.

Three years ago, he enrolled in classes at the university. By day, he has patrolled the Uptown school, and by night, he becomes one of the university’s students.

During the first few semesters, Mr. Cortazzo would often find himself running late to class. There may have been a few instances where he had to park illegally to make it to class, he recalled, laughing.

“Here I am, 65-years-old, running to class. What are you doing? What's going on here?” Mr. Cortazzo said. “It's how excited I was about going to class. I still run to class. I'm a little better on time.”

Education classes have been rewarding and eye-opening for Mr. Cortazzo. He also enjoys the social aspect of his classes. Though Sarge is older than all of his peers — many of the students are the same age as his grandson — he, like them, is looking to start a new chapter of his life.

And as a school board member, Mr. Cortazzo brings a unique perspective to his coursework. Knowing the inner workings of public schools from a board perspective has been beneficial, Mr. Cortazzo said. In one case, he even conducted a reform project based on a change that South Allegheny’s middle school had recently undergone.

“A project that I needed for class, I got to see go through in real life, in real time,” Mr. Cortazzo said. “[My school board experience] has been a living document for me.”

Mr. Cortazzo graduates Saturday afternoon in the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. His wife of 47 years, three sons and seven grandchildren will be cheering him on.

Looking to the future, Sarge is optimistic about the future of education — and he’s eager to play a role in its betterment, whatever that role may be.

“I could be a good advocate because what I've learned in the last three years in this master’s program at Duquesne University — it showed me so much about education,” Mr. Cortazzo said. “If we don't get involved, if we don't do something about it, then it's going to pass us by.”