139113 SRU Mag Back NEW - Slippery Rock University

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From
by Robert M. Smith, President
IT’S AGREAT TIME TO BE AT
SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY.
We continue to advance our academic
mission. I am proud to announce that Phi
Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest, largest and
most selective all-discipline honor society
has selected Slippery Rock University for
membership. Our chapter was installed in a
formal ceremony in November (see pg. 7).
The Princeton Review, for the second
consecutive year, ranks us among the best
colleges and universities in the Mid-
Atlantic. Additionally, CosmoGIRL
magazine rated SRU as one of the top 50
“female friendly campuses” in the nation,
along with such prestigious higher
education institutions as Amherst, Brown,
Kenyon, Middlebury, and Pamona
colleges as well as the universities of
Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan,
Virginia and Duke, Berkeley and Stanford
Universities.
Chancellor Judy Hample administers the
oath of office to President Robert Smith.
Coverage of the inauguration ceremony and
celebration begins on the next page.
COME FOR A VISIT
I wish I could adequately share the
excitement that abounds here at The Rock.
If you know students who are in the
college search stage of their life, you really
should bring them for a visit.
At least point them to our website
www.sru.edu to click on the Rock Videos.
These promotional pieces recently won an
International Association of Business
Communicators Award for web-based
communications.
If you visit, though, the excitement
starts when you come into town from
Interstate 79 and are greeted by the new
waterfall welcoming you to the Village of
Slippery Rock. And, when you turn the
corner onto Main Street, you’ll see that
the downtown has never looked better.
At campus, you’ll want to start at the
new Welcome Center in North Hall, a
magnificent place to meet and greet
prospective students and their parents.
It’s conveniently located near the Russell
Wright Alumni House.
A new pedestrian walkway has replaced
the alley from Wiesenfluh to Morrow Field
House. A huge rock and three spheres
symbolize how our students are transformed
from roughness to a polished orb.
YOU CAN HELP IN THAT
TRANSFORMATION
When most of you attended Slippery
Rock, the state funded more than half of
the actual cost of your education. Today,
however, it is the students and their families
who shoulder more than 60 percent
of the costs.
Our students are still like most of you
were. Two-thirds of them are the first
generation in their family to attend college.
However, while today’s students pay
a greater share than you did, they also
borrow money and pay interest to do that.
Eighty percent graduate with an average
debt of $20,041.
So, while I write that it is a great time
to be at Slippery Rock University, many
worthy students struggle to afford this
opportunity.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
People who work with me know that
one of my favorite expressions is “Make it
happen.” Collectively, Rock alumni can
make huge things happen.
We need alumni and friends to help
close the student’s financial gap by contributing
to our scholarship fund. Our
goal is to increase the percentage of
alumni who contribute financially.
Alumni participation in fundraising is
an important measure of the strength of a
university. I hope we can do much better
than our current 14 percent of alums
who gave last year.
Our annual fund phonathon is one
way in which you can participate. When
one of our students calls you to ask for a
contribution, think about how much that
student is like you were. Please say “Yes”
to their request, and designate your gift
to our scholarship fund.
You will know that you had a role in
making this a great time to be at Slippery
Rock University.
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