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Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, one of 14 state-owned institutions that comprise the State System of Higher Education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has a long tradition of providing quality education to students. Started in 1889 as a teacher education institution, the university developed into a multi-purpose institution with approximately 8,000 students and with over 60 degree programs in the College of Business, Information, and Social Sciences, College of Education, College of Health, Environment and Science, College of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts, and Graduate Studies.

Slippery Rock University will excel as a caring community of lifelong learners connecting with the world.

The fundamental mission of Slippery Rock University is to provide high quality undergraduate and graduate academic instruction. Complementary missions are to conduct scholarly research, to promote professional performance, and to address the educationally related economic, health, environmental, social, cultural, and recreational needs of the region served by the university.

To accomplish these missions, Slippery Rock University primarily focuses its efforts in the academic areas of:

the arts and sciences,
teacher education,
environmental sciences and studies,
health and human services,
computer, information sciences,
business and communication.

The perspectives of Slippery Rock University are contemporary and futuristic, national and international. The university provides experiences and opportunities for students to demonstrate leadership and to develop confidence and self-reliance; it promotes their intellectual, social, and physical development; and it accomplishes these in an open, caring, nurturing, and friendly environment. Slippery Rock University is committed to serving and empowering all segments of the population that can benefit from its offerings.

The individual and collective excellence for which Slippery Rock University stands will continue to be measured by the quality of its graduates and their successes in serving society.

Slippery Rock University is accredited by the following accrediting agencies:

Institutional:

Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2680
www.msche.org

Programmatic:

Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc.
3201 Old Glenview Road, Suite 300
Wilmette, IL 60091
www.aaahc.org

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.
11 Market Place, Suite 1050
Baltimore, MD 21202
www.abet.org

American Physical Therapy Association
1111 N. Fairfax
Alexandria, VA 22314-1488
www.apta.org

Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
35 E. Wacker Dr., Suite 1970
Chicago, IL 60601-2208
www.caahep.org

Commision on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE)
2201 Double Creek Drive Suite 5006
Round Rock, TX 78664
www.caate.net

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
5999 Stevenson Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22304
www.cacrep.org

Council on Social Work Education
1600 Duke St., Suite 300
Alexandria, VA 22314
www.cswe.org

Institute for Safety and Health Management
2004 Hatton Court #101
Columbia, MO 65203
www.ishm.org

National Association of Schools of Art and Design
11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21
Reston, VA 20190-5248
www.nasad.arts-accredit.org

National Association of Schools of Dance
11250 Roger Bacon #21
Reston, VA 20190
www.nasd.art-accredit.org

National Association of Schools of Music
11250 Roger Bacon #5
Reston, VA 20190
www.nasm.arts-accredit.org

National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education
2010 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-1023
www.ncate.org

National League for Nursing, Inc.
350 Hudson St.
New York, NY 10014
www.nln.org/nlnjournal

National Recreation and Park Association
22377 Belmont Ridge Road
Ashburn, Virginia 20148
www.nrpa.org

National Association of Schools of Theater
11250 Roger Baron Drive, Suite 21
Restoa, VA 20190
http://nast.arts-accredit.org

Students and visitors to the SRU campus discover that the University is located in a small town of about 3,500 permanent residents. The University is also in the middle of a population center of about 120,000 people. Two major interstate highways, I-79 and I-80, intersect seven miles from the University and make the university easily accessible to Pittsburgh and Erie, PA, and to Youngstown, Ohio. Students can travel fifty minutes south on I-79 to Pittsburgh and enjoy its major cultural venues that include opera, symphony, theatre, and museums and its major league baseball, football and hockey teams. The city of Erie, Presque Isle, and Lake Erie are an easy 90 minutes north on I-79, and thirty-five miles west on I-80 is Youngstown, Ohio.

Most students enjoy instructional experiences on-campus. In addition, students use learning facilities at nearby Moraine State Park, Jennings Environmental Education Center, McKeever Environmental Learning Center, Regional Learning Alliance at Cranberry Woods as well as the Wallops Island Marine Science Laboratory in Virginia. Many academic departments sponsor internship programs that provide on-the-job educational and professional training. Opportunities to study abroad in international settings are available to students.

Approximately 70 percent of Slippery Rock University’s 8,350 students are from western Pennsylvania, with Pittsburgh and other cities in Allegheny County providing the largest number of students. Another 22 percent of the student body comes from central and eastern Pennsylvania. The remaining 8 percent comes from more than 40 states in the United States and more than 70 other countries.

The 390 faculty members at Slippery Rock University are teachers, scholars and contributors to the University and community. The typical faculty member teaches four courses each semester, engages in scholarly research and creative endeavors, and participates in a variety of decision-making processes. Of the current faculty members, fifty-three percent are male and forty-seven percent are female. Seventeen percent are members of ethnic groups. In addition, 85 percent are tenured or occupy tenure-track positions, and 90% of full-time tenure or tenure track have instructional facultyhave earned a Ph.D. or other terminal degree. <>

Slippery Rock University’s gorgeous 650-acre campus is located in the rolling countryside of Western Pennsylvania. Thirty-one major buildings that blend traditional and modern architecture comprise the core of the campus for an optimum living and learning environment.

Among public and private universities in Pennsylvania, Bailey Library ranks as one of the best public or private university libraries in Pennsylvania. The library online system allows easy searching of the library’s print collections, as well as many other resources including NetLibrary electronic books, more than 12,000 online full-text journals, and the resources of many other Pennsylvania libraries. Swope Music Hall is designed as both a performing and learning center. Vincent Science Hall has laboratories, classrooms, and a greenhouse. Morrow Field House is an instructional and recreational facility that houses a gymnasium, swimming pool, handball court, dance studio, tennis court, and track. McKay Education, Spotts World Cultures, and Eisenberg Classroom Building are examples of standard educational facilities that have small and large classrooms, auditoriums and other specialized classrooms. The Physical Therapy building is a state-of-the-art building where the Graduate School of Physical Therapy program is located. International Services and initiatives reside in the recently renovated Carruth Rizza Hall. The Advanced Technology and Science Hall opened in 2006. The ATSH houses Computer Science, Chemistry and Geography, Geology, & the Environment.

Students reside in eight on-campus residence halls that are located conveniently to most of the other campus buildings, and upper class students can reside at the ROCK apartment complex. Privately owned residence halls, apartments, and other types of living accommodations are available off-campus. Students take their meals at Weisenfluh and Boozel dining halls.

The Robert N. Aebersold Recreation Center, an 83,000 square foot facility, offers a myriad of physical fitness areas. These range from aerobic workout areas to a 40-foot climbing wall. The ARC, built following a student initiative with student funding, is open year-round and includes the Russell Wright Fitness Center. A 200-meter indoor running track is part of the complex as is a 3,428 square foot indoor pool. A sun deck is adjacent to the pool. One gymnasium area offers four, wood-floor courts for basketball, volleyball, badminton and other physical activities. A second gymnasium area offers space for aerobics, floor hockey, deck hockey and soccer. The University Union is another campus hub with a bookstore, cafe, grille, recreation areas and meeting rooms. Several tennis courts, a 10,000-seat football stadium, baseball stadium, softball complex, four major athletic fields and nine auxiliary fields provide other venues to augment the ARC and the Union.

Research and scholarship are central features of any academic environment. At Slippery Rock University, faculty and students are active in a wide range of internally and externally funded projects that support the research, teaching and public service missions of the university. The Office of Grants & Sponsored Research (OGSR) is responsible for assisting faculty in the acquisition of external funding for scholarship, research, and other projects; representing the university in pre-award and award transactions with funding sponsors; acting as a liaison between project directors, sponsors, administration, and external groups; and assisting with post-award administration of grants and contracts to assure compliance with federal, state, and university directives. The office also provides the administrative oversight to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for ethical implementation of research projects involving human subjects and works closely with the Institutional Animal Care and USe Committee (IACUC) to ensure that the animal housing, care, and use in reasrch labs meets federal standards and guidlelines.

The center for Student Research supports and promotes high-quility student/faculty collaborative research, scholarship and creative activity. The Center’s mission is to create a commiunity of leaders by facilitating the exchange of ideas, to provide a collegical venue that prepares students for further scholarly exploration and professional careers, and to promote scholarly inquiry as a fundamental value of the SRU experience. A Symposium for Research and Scholarship is held annually to highlight the research and scholarly endeavors of undergraduate and graduate students. The two-day, campus-wide event encompasses poster sessions, oral presentations and performances that showcase the work of projects conducted throughout the academic year.

Russell Wright Alumni House
724-738-2018

Director
Michael Saraka

Secretaries
Deborah Kedanis
Dorothy Thompson

Slippery Rock University has more than 45,000 graduates living throughout the country. Alumni are encouraged to join the Slippery Rock University Alumni Association, a  separately incorporated organization that is devoted to serving the university and its alumni. One-year complementary memberships are provided to graduating seniors.

Among the services that are provided by the Slippery Rock University Alumni Association are insurance programs and regional chapters. Significantly, the Alumni Association manages and awards eleven scholarships. Nine of the scholarships, the Nancy Angell Scholarship, the Madeline F. Stoops Scholarship, the Hallie Dugan Smith Scholarship, the Eisaman Alumni Scholarship for sophomore students, the Maree McKay/Esther Smiley Scholarships, the Carl and Norma Laughner Scholarship, the Maggie Meise Fellowship, the Watson Family Scholarship, and the Anna Bura Williams Scholarship for women elementary education majors, are for academic excellence. The N. Kerr Thompson and Jeanne Powell Furrie Scholarships are for athletics (see Scholarships).

The association also sponsors Homecoming and Alumni Reunion Weekend as well as special events throughout the year. Additional information on the Alumni Association as well as upcoming events can be found in the university’s Rock Magazine, which is published three times a year, and on the alumni web site at www.rockalumnicafe.com or at www.sru.edu and then clicking on Alumni.