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.

Vision

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

Mission

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,
business and public administration,
computer and information sciences 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.

Accreditation

Slippery Rock University is accredited by the following accrediting agencies:

Commission on Higher Education
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2680
http://www.masache.org

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

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

American Society of Exercise Physiologists
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
1200 Kenwood Avenue
Duluth, MN 55811
www.asep.org

Association of Collegiate Business Schools
7007 College Blvd., Suite 420
Overland Park, KS 66211
http://www.acbsp.org

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

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

National Association of Schools of Dance
11250 Roger Bacon #21
Reston, VA 20190
http://www.arts-accredit.org/nasd/am.html

National Association of Music Therapy
505 11th St., S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
http://www.musictherapy.org

National Association of Schools of Music
11250 Roger Bacon #5
Reston, VA 20190

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

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

National Recreation and Park Association
22377 Belmont Ridge Road
Ashburn, Virginia 20148
http://www.activeparks.org/education/highered.cfm

Location

Students and visitors to the SRU campus discover that the university is located in a small town of about 3500 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 ninety 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, Waterfront Corporate Park in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, 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.

Students

Approximately 70 percent of Slippery Rock University’s 7,800 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 over 70 other countries.

Faculty

The 405 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. Eleven percent are members of ethnic groups. In addition, eighty-five percent are tenured or occupy tenure-track positions, and ninety-eight percent hold advanced degrees with seventy-five percent holding doctorates, MFA’s, or law degrees.

Campus

Slippery Rock University’s gorgeous 600-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, over 11,000 online full-text journals, and the resources of many other Pennsylvania libraries. Swope Music Hall is designed as both a performing and a 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 classrooms that have small and large classrooms, auditoriums, and other specialized classrooms. Two recent building additions to campus are the graduate School of Physical Therapy and the Carruth Rizza Hall.

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.

Recreation Opportunities

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, and a second gymnasium area offers space for aerobics, floor hockey, deck hockey, and soccer.

The University Union is another campus hub with a bookstore, grille, recreation areas, and meeting rooms.

Several tennis courts, a 10,000-seat football stadium, four major athletic fields, and nine auxiliary fields provide other recreation opportunities to augment the ARC and the Union. The newest athletic facility, the Jack Critchfield Park, is a 1,500-seat baseball stadium that opened in April 2002.

Grants and Sponsored Research

Research and scholarship are central features of any academic environment. At Slippery Rock University, faculty and students are active in a wide range of 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.

A Symposium for Research and Scholarship is held annually to highlight the research and scholarly endeavors of faculty, staff and 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.