The University

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, one of 10 state-owned institutions that comprise Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, 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 8,500 students and with approximately 135 programs in the College of Business, College of Education, College Engineering and Science, College of Health Professions, and College of Liberal Arts.

Vision

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

Mission

The fundamental educational mission of Slippery Rock University (SRU) is to transform the intellectual, social, physical, and leadership capacities of students in order to prepare them for life and career success. Complementary missions are to engage in scholarly activity and professional service.

SRU is committed to serving a diverse student body and empowering anyone regionally, nationally, and internationally who can benefit from its programs and lifelong learning opportunities. Thereby SRU addresses the educationally-related economic, health, environmental, social, cultural, and recreational needs of the communities served by the university.

In pursuit of SRU’s educational purpose, talented faculty and staff provide creative integrated curricula and experiences that are connected to the world in which graduates will work and live. Students are taught using powerful and engaging pedagogies in appropriate learning spaces employing state-of-the-art technology. They study in an open, caring, nurturing, and friendly environment, and live in a safe community with access to high-quality student services. SRU strives to be a best-value institution with an affordable cost and substantial student financial support.

Core Values

Student Success

We value students as the center of all that we do and support a climate that celebrates each person’s success. We believe that, as a public regional university, our role is to transform our students to enable them to be economically and socially mobile.

Excellence

We value excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative endeavors, student services and in all aspects of the University’s operations to ensure institutional effectiveness and efficiency. We value excellent curricula and co-curricular experiences, together with high expectations of our students, in order to stimulate student success.

Intellectual Freedom, Integrity and Free Expression

We value and uphold the right of all in our academic community to speak and write freely. We expect all who study, teach and work within the University to uphold the highest ideals of scholarly responsibility. We value honesty, integrity, fairness, and respect in creating, debating and disseminating intellectual and creative works. As such, we believe that all perspectives deserve fair scrutiny in the marketplace of ideas in a civil, fair and thoughtful manner.

Innovation

We value the discovery and application of knowledge in teaching and learning and in developing innovative systems. We believe in offering educational programs that anticipate future needs, teach state-of-the-art competencies and use modern evidence-based pedagogies. We strive to promote and adopt productive cutting-edge curriculum, technology, structures and processes throughout the enterprise.

Diversity, Inclusion and Equity

We value a diverse campus community that enriches our students’ intellectual and social growth. We strive to build and support a community that fully reflects the rich diversity of the commonwealth. We welcome all qualified individuals to SRU and will work to ensure that our enrollment, employment and advancement processes are open, unhindered and free of barriers. We seek an inclusive campus and equitable outcomes for students and employees alike. More information is available here. 

Openness, Shared Governance and Accountability (Combines Two Concepts)

We value shared decision making and promote a campus culture in which information is widely shared, broad participation is encouraged, decision making processes are clear and feedback is valued. We uphold our commitments to shared governance. We value transparency of information and process, collaboration in resolving significant issues of mutual interest and ethical decision-making. We will be publicly accountable for the quality of our work and will seek to steward University resources effectively.

Social Responsibility

We value the importance of fostering citizenship to promote the public good, environmental sustainability, global understanding and informed civic engagement. We will leverage our intellectual and financial resources in order to educate our students and the public about sustainability, global awareness and civic responsibility and operate the University as sustainably as possible.

Accreditation

Slippery Rock University is accredited by the following accrediting agencies:

Institutional Accreditation

Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

nonacademic ACCREDITATION

Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. (AAAHC)

International Association of Counseling Services (IACS)

Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH INTL)

College of Engineering and Science

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

American Chemical Society (ACS)

Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE)

North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)

COLLEGE OF HEALTH professions

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)

Accreditation Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA)     

American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)

• Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy (CAPTE)

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education (CAAHEP)

• Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE)
• Committee on Accreditation of Exercise Sciences (CoAES)

Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE)

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

College of Education

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

National Program Recognitions 

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• Council for Exceptional Children
• National Council of Teachers of English
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
• National Science Teachers Association
• National Council for the Social Studies

Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) 

 College of Business

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM)

Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA)

College of Liberal Arts

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)

National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD)

National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)

National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)

Location

Slippery Rock University’s campus is located in Slippery Rock, a borough in northern Butler County, Pennsylvania, that is a safe and friendly community of approximately 3,500 residents. SRU is less than an hour’s drive north of Pittsburgh, one hour south of Erie and 45 minutes east of Youngstown, Ohio. Two major interstate highways, I-79 and I-80, intersect seven miles from the University, making the campus easily accessible.

Students

Three quarters of SRU’s more than 8,800 students are from western Pennsylvania, including the largest number of students hailing from Pittsburgh and other cities in Allegheny County. Another 13% of students come from central and eastern Pennsylvania. The remaining 11% are out-of-state students, as students from 43 states and 30 countries are represented among the student population.

Faculty

The approximately 453 full- and part-time faculty members at SRU are teachers, scholars and contributors to the University and community. The typical faculty member teaches four undergraduate courses each semester, engages in scholarly research and creative endeavors and serves in a variety of decision-making roles. Of the current full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty, 48% are male and 52% are female and 19% are members of minority racial and ethnic groups. In addition, 91% of all full-time faculty are tenured or occupy tenure-track positions, and 94% of full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty have earned a doctoral or other terminal degree.

Campus

SRU’s gorgeous 660-acre campus is located in the rolling countryside of western Pennsylvania. More than 30 major buildings and 64 total facilities, which blend traditional and modern architecture, contributes to an optimal living and learning environment.

Bailey Library supports the University’s mission by developing collections and services that make the library integral to the learning process, both within and beyond the classroom. SRU has completed a multiphased renovation of the library to better serve the needs of the 21st century student. Services and resources include, but are not limited to, personal librarians; holdings which include print and electronic books, government documents, print and electronic journals, newspapers, DVDs, audio books, archival records and special collections; group and individual learning spaces for scholarly work and recreational reading; interlibrary loan and document delivery services; the Technology Learning Center; the Instructional Materials Center; and University Archives and Special Collections Room.

Other facilities include Swope Music Hall, designed as both a performing and learning center; Vincent Science Center, with laboratories, classrooms and a greenhouse; and Morrow Field House, 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 buildings are examples of standard educational facilities that have small and large classrooms, auditoria and other specialized classrooms.

Buildings erected since 2001 include the School of Physical Therapy Building and the Advanced Technology and Science Hall, which houses the Computer Science; Chemistry; and Geography, Geology and the Environment departments. Recent renovations include the Strain Safety Building, which underwent a $6.5-million upgrade in 2018 and the Performing Arts Complex which underwent a $29.2-million renovation and reopened in 2021. The University opened the Harrisville Building in 2016 in nearby Harrisville, Pennsylvania, to house the physician assistant and occupational therapy programs.

Students reside in eight on-campus residence halls: six newer buildings housing students on the lower end of campus and two traditional halls located on the upper end of campus. Additionally, upperclass students can reside at the ROCK Apartments, an eight-building complex with 188 beds. Privately owned residence halls, apartments and other types of living accommodations are available off-campus.

There are two dining halls, Boozel and Weisenfluh, as well as dining options including Starbucks and Quaker Steak and Lube inside the 107,000-square-foot Smith Student Center. That building also houses a ballroom, theater, book store, conference rooms, a bank branch and other offices and amenities.

Campus Resources and Services

For information about resources and services at Slippery Rock University, please visit the Campus Resources and Services page.