NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Oct. 28, 2003--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said it assigned its 'SP-1+' rating to $60 million of the University of Pittsburgh's PANTHERS notes due to the university's history of strong market access and underlying credit strengths. The notes are expected to price in the first week of November 2003. In addition, Standard&Poor's affirmed its 'SP-1+' rating on outstanding short-term debt- PANTHERS series 2002. The outlook is stable. "The stable outlook reflects the expectation that demand, finances, and other areas of operating performance will remain steady," said Standard&Poor's credit analyst Mary Peloquin-Dodd. Proceeds of the series 2003 notes, much like the previous series, will be used for various equipment expenditures, capital projects,
