Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock University, formally Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (The Rock or SRU), is a public university in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. SRU is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The university has been coeducational since its founding in 1889.[6] Its campus is on 611 acres (247 ha).
Other name | The Rock |
---|---|
Former names | Slippery Rock Normal School (1889–1927) Slippery Rock State Teachers College (1927–1960) Slippery Rock State College (1960–1983)[1] |
Type | Public university |
Established | 1889 |
Academic affiliations | PASSHE |
Endowment | US $16.5 million |
President | Karen Riley[2] |
Administrative staff | 867 |
Students | 8,243[3] |
Undergraduates | 6,779[4] |
Postgraduates | 1,464[4] |
Location | , U.S. |
Campus | Rural, 660 Acres |
Colors | |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II – PSAC |
Mascot | Rocky – The Pride of the Rock[5] |
Website | www |
History
Slippery Rock University was founded in 1889 under the name Slippery Rock State Normal School as a teacher training school. James E. Morrow was the first president. The school was purchased by the Commonwealth in 1926 and became a four-year college.
Slippery Rock State College was established in 1960 and issued undergraduate and graduate degrees within the liberal arts and other professions.[7] As of September 2022, Slippery Rock University has 8,243 enrolled students[8] as well as 172 majors, 45 minors[9] and 44 graduate programs, including certificates.[10]
Administration
In 2012, Cheryl Joy Norton was appointed as the university's first female president.[11][12] Norton announced she would retire effective June 30, 2017.[13] William J. Behre became the university's president in 2018.[2] Behre would go on to serve the university for roughly 4 years before announcing his retirement on February 15th 2022.[14] Effective on July 1st, 2023 Karen Riley was appointed president of Slippery Rock University.[15]
Athletics
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania competes in the NCAA Division II and is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
Slippery Rock University's official mascot is Rocky the Lion.[16]
Varsity sports
Men's teams: Baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field.
Women's teams: Basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, and Volleyball.
The announcement of Slippery Rock's football scores is a tradition at University of Michigan Football games, started in 1959 by Michigan Stadium's public address announcer Steve Filipiak.[17] The tradition spread to other stadiums as well - during a 1970 game at the University of Texas, the announcer failed to read Slippery Rock’s score, which resulted in the crowd demanding to know said score.[18] Slippery Rock was so popular with U of M fans that on September 29, 1979, they played in-state rival Shippensburg at Michigan Stadium, in front of 61,143 fans, a record for a Division II football game (Shippensburg won, 45–14). Slippery Rock played a second game at "The Big House" in 1981, attracting 36,719 fans in a 14–13 loss to Wayne State University. Slippery Rock made a third trip to "The Big House" on October 18, 2014, losing to Mercyhurst University, 45–23; a crowd of 15,121 braved a chilly wind to witness the contest.
Club sports
In 1995, the women's water polo team won the intercollegiate national championship conducted by USA Water Polo.[19] This remains the only collegiate water polo championship ever won by a non-California team.
In 1987, the women's judo team, a varsity sport team at the time, won the intercollegiate national championship conducted by the National Collegiate Judo Association.[20]
Slippery Rock ice hockey joined other colleges and universities in the region to form the College Hockey Mid-America (CHMA) in 2006. In 2020, the university suspended the hockey program for the indefinite future.[21]
Student life
Aebersold Student Recreation Center
The Aebersold Student Recreation Center is an 82,000 sq ft (7,600 m2) on-campus student recreation center.[22]
Fraternities and sororities
Interfraternity Council Fraternities:
- Sigma Tau Gamma (1961 – rechartered 1993, as of 2019 currently suspended for 5 years)
- Theta Xi (1966 – rechartered 1987)
- Alpha Sigma Phi (1970)
- Pi Kappa Phi (1985)
- Pi Kappa Alpha (1997, as of 2019 currently suspended for 3 years)
- Kappa Sigma (2006)
- Kappa Delta Rho (1981 – rechartered 2014)
- Theta Chi (2018)
Panhellenic Association Sororities:
- Sigma Sigma Sigma (1961)
- Alpha Xi Delta (1963 – rechartered 1987)
- Delta Zeta (1963)
- Alpha Omicron Pi (1966)
- Alpha Sigma Tau (1966)
- Phi Sigma Sigma (1991)
Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Organizations:
- Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority
- Zeta Phi Beta sorority
- Delta Sigma Theta sorority
- Phi Beta Sigma fraternity
- Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
Multicultural Greek Organizations:
Student media
SRU has a student newspaper, Local Access TV Station, a PR Club, radio station, and a student-run literary publication.
- The Rocket, a weekly newspaper with a circulation of 3,000
- 88.1 WSRU-FM, a 100-watt alternative rock station
- WSRU-TV
- SLAB, an annual student-run literary magazine publication.
Notable alumni
- Matt Adams – professional baseball player
- Janet Anderson – professional golfer
- Cheryl Bailey – former general manager of U.S. Women's National Soccer, Commissioner of National Women's Soccer League
- Francis V. Barnes – Secretary of Education for the Pennsylvania Department of Education from 2004 to 2005
- David Batra – Swedish stand-up comedian and TV actor
- Stephen Bolles – lawyer and politician
- Myron Brown – professional basketball player
- Todd Tamanend Clark (1983) – poet and composer
- Victoria Clarke – communications consultant and former United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
- Shardea Arias de la Cru - Paralympic administrator
- Matthew Driscoll ('92) – college basketball coach
- Stanley Dziedzic ('72) – Olympic wrestler
- Brandon Fusco – professional football player
- Wes Hills – professional football player
- Greg Hopkins – professional football player
- Donnie Iris – professional musician
- Charles William Kerr – Pioneer Presbyterian minister in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Jodi Kest – college basketball coach
- Matt Kinsinger – professional football player
- Gary L. Lancaster – Federal District Judge, Western District of Pennsylvania
- Marcus Martin – professional football player
- Brian Minto – professional boxer
- Greg Paterra – professional football player
- Sarah Patterson – college gymnastics coach
- Lawrence Reed – president of the Foundation for Economic Education, former president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy
- M. Richard Rose (1955-2021) – former President of Alfred University and the Rochester Institute of Technology
- Robert J. Stevens – chairman, president, and chief executive officer of the Lockheed Martin Corporation
- C. Vivian Stringer – college basketball coach
- John Stuper – professional baseball player and college baseball coach[23]
- Lou Trivino – professional baseball player
- Royce Waltman – college basketball coach
- Richard Schweiker – politician; former United States Senator from Pennsylvania (1969–1981) and former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (1981–1983)
References
- "HISTORY AND TRADITIONS". sru.edu. Slippery Rock University. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- "Karen Riley named president of Slippery Rock University". Slippery Rock University. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- "SRU enrollment exceeds 8,200 students for fall 2022".
- , 2022-23 Enrollment.
- "Rocky, The Pride of The Rock". sru.edu.
- "Student Aid on the Web". Archived from the original on 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2012-04-06.
- "History". Slippery Rock University.
- "SRU enrollment exceeds 8,200 students for fall 2022". September 8, 2020.
- "MAJORS & MINORS". Slippery Rock University.
- "Admissions Requirements by Program". Slippery Rock University.
- "Welcome!". Sru.edu. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
- "Dr. Cheryl Norton named as first female president of SRU – News – The Rocket – Slippery Rock University". Theonlinerocket.com. 2012-04-05. Archived from the original on 2012-08-09. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
- Nuzum, Lydia (9 December 2016). "Slippery Rock's president announces retirement". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
- "SRU President William Behre announces retirement". www.sru.edu. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
- "Karen Riley named president of Slippery Rock University". www.sru.edu. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
- "Rocky, The Pride of The Rock". www.sru.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
- "Slippery Rock University Athletics – Tradition". Rockathletics.com. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
- "Slippery Rock University Football - College Football's Biggest Little Team".
- "National Women's Collegiate Champs". Retrieved 2009-09-02.
- "Collegiate tournament results". Archived from the original on 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- Major II, Ed (December 21, 2020). "Slippery Rock suspends men's hockey, future of program uncertain". Pittsburgh Hockey Digest. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- "Aebersold Student Recreation Center". sru.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
- Sybert, Steve (29 April 1992). "Campus life lures Stuper to Yale". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 76. Retrieved 27 September 2022.