Slippery Rock University, formally Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (The Rock or SRU), is a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania Slippery Rock is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania. The population was 3,081 at the 2020 census. Slippery Rock is included in the Greater Pittsburgh Region. It is home to Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, attended by nearly 9,000 ...

. SRU is a member of the

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that oversees 10 state-owned universities. Collectively, it is the largest provider of higher education in the commonwealth. All ...

(PASSHE). The university has been

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

since its founding in 1889. Its campus is on .

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 Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...

and other professions. , Slippery Rock University has 8,876 enrolled students as well as 160 majors, almost 40 minors and over 30 graduate programs.

Administration

In 2012, Cheryl Joy Norton was appointed as the university's first female president. Norton announced she would retire effective June 30, 2017. William J. Behre became the university's president in 2018.

Athletics

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania competes in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division II and is a member of the

Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers C ...

(PSAC). Slippery Rock University's official mascot is Rocky the lion, The Pride of The Rock.

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 Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the third largest stadium in the world, and the ...

's public address announcer Steve Filipiak. 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. 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 Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

. Slippery Rock made a third trip to "The Big House" on October 18, 2014, losing to

Mercyhurst University (Seize the day) , former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012) , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy) , endowment = $31.8 million , faculty = 136 full-time , administrat ...

, 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. 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. Slippery Rock ice hockey joined other colleges and universities in the region to form the

College Hockey Mid-America College Hockey Mid-America (CHMA) is an American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I ice hockey conference with teams in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The league was formed in 2006 after members of the now defunct Universit ...

(CHMA) in 2006. In 2020, the university suspended the hockey program for four years.

Student life

Aebersold Student Recreation Center

The Aebersold Student Recreation Center is an on-campus student recreation center.

Fraternities and sororities

Interfraternity Council Fraternities: *

Sigma Tau Gamma Sigma Tau Gamma (), commonly known as Sig Tau, is a United States college social fraternity founded on June 28, 1920, at the University of Central Missouri (then known as Central Missouri State Teachers College). The fraternity was founded as a re ...

(1961 – rechartered 1993, as of 2019 currently suspended for 5 years) *

Theta Xi Theta Xi () is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on April 29, 1864. Of all the social fraternities today, Theta Xi was the only one founded during the Civil War. Its ...

(1966 – rechartered 1987) *

Alpha Sigma Phi Alpha Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Sig, is an intercollegiate men's social fraternity with 181 active chapters and provisional chapters. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest Greek letter fraternity in the United States. The ...

(1970) *

Pi Kappa Phi Pi Kappa Phi (), commonly known as Pi Kapp(s), is an American Greek Letter secret and social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty Jr. on December 10, 1904 at the College of Charleston i ...

(1985) * Pi Kappa Alpha (1997, as of 2019 currently suspended for 3 years) *

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and col ...

(2006) *

Kappa Delta Rho Kappa Delta Rho (), commonly known as KDR, is an American college social fraternity, with 84 chapters (35 of which are active) spread out over the United States, primarily in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Kappa Delta Rho's open motto is "' ...

(1981 – rechartered 2014) *

Theta Chi Theta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 c ...

(2018) Panhellenic Association Sororities: *

Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma (), also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women's sorority. Sigma Sigma Sigma is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), an umbrella organization encompassing 26 national sororities or women's fraterni ...

(1961) *

Alpha Xi Delta Alpha Xi Delta (, often referred to as A-''"Zee"''-D ) is a women's fraternity founded on April 17, 1893. Baird's Manual is also available online hereThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage at Lombard College in Galesburg, Illinois, United Stat ...

(1963 – rechartered 1987) *

Delta Zeta Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 170 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada, and over 200 alumnae chapters in Cana ...

(1963) * Alpha Omicron Pi (1966) * Alpha Sigma Tau (1966) *

Phi Sigma Sigma Phi Sigma Sigma (), colloquially known as Phi Sig, was the first collegiate nonsectarian sorority to allow membership of women of all faiths and backgrounds. The sorority was founded on November 26, 1913, and lists 60,000 initiated members, 115 ...

(1991) *Tau Beta Sigma (2021) Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Organizations: * Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority *

Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. In 1920, five women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic ach ...

sorority * Delta Sigma Theta sorority * Phi Beta Sigma fraternity * Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity Multicultural Greek Organizations: * Theta Delta Sigma Society, Inc. (2010)

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 Matthew James Adams (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional baseball first baseman in the Washington Nationals organization. Nicknamed "Big City" for his imposing size and ability to regularly hit long home runs, the St. Louis Cardina ...

– professional baseball player *

Janet Anderson Janet Anderson (born 6 December 1949) is a former Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rossendale and Darwen from 1992 until 2010, when she lost her seat. Her time as MP is remembered for her role as Minister for ...

– professional golfer *

Cheryl Bailey Cheryl Bailey (née Marra from Jamestown, New York) is the former Executive Director of the National Women's Soccer League. She formerly served as general manager of the United States women's national soccer team from 2007 to 2011. Early career ...

– 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 The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with publicly funded preschool, K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed ...

from 2004 to 2005 *

David Batra David Chandra Batra (born 29 November 1972) is a Swedish stand up comedian and TV actor. He was born in Lund to an Indian Punjabi Khatri father and Swedish mother. Batra started doing stand up comedy in 1994, and has written and played leading ...

– Swedish stand-up comedian and TV actor * Stephen Bolles – lawyer and politician *

Myron Brown Julian Myron Brown (born November 3, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. At 6'3" (1.90 m), 180 lb (82 kg) shooting guard, he played one season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before playing around ...

– professional basketball player * Todd Tamanend Clark (1983) – poet and composer *

Victoria Clarke Victoria "Torie" Clarke (born May 18, 1959) is an American communications consultant who has served in several private sector positions and in three Republican presidential administrations, most notably as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for ...

– communications consultant and former United States

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs The Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, or ATSD (PA), is the principal staff advisor and assistant to the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense for public information, internal information, community relations, ...

* Shardea Arias de la Cru -

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

administrator * Matthew Driscoll ('92) – college basketball coach * Stanley Dziedzic ('72) – Olympic wrestler *

Brandon Fusco Brandon Fusco (born July 26, 1988) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 172nd overall pick in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Slippery Rock University of Pe ...

– professional football player * Wes Hills – professional football player * Greg Hopkins – professional football player *

Donnie Iris Donnie Iris (born Dominic Ierace, February 28, 1943) is an American rock musician known for his work with the Jaggerz and Wild Cherry during the 1970s, and for his solo career beginning in the 1980s with his band, the Cruisers. He wrote the ...

– professional musician * Charles William Kerr – Pioneer Presbyterian minister in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

* Jodi Kest – college basketball coach * Matt Kinsinger – professional football player * Gary L. Lancaster – Federal District Judge, Western District of Pennsylvania *

Marcus Martin Marcus Martin (born November 29, 1993) is an American football guard who is a free agent. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at USC. Early years Martin attended Cre ...

– professional football player * Brian Minto – professional boxer * Greg Paterra – professional football player * Sarah Patterson – college gymnastics coach *

Lawrence Reed Lawrence "Larry" W. Reed (born September 29, 1953), also known as Larry Reed, is president emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), where he has served as the Humphreys Family Senior Fellow since May 2019. Before joining FEE, Re ...

– president of the

Foundation for Economic Education The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is an American conservative, libertarian economic think tank. Founded in 1948 in New York City, FEE is now headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a member of the State Policy Network. FEE offers ...

, former president of the

Mackinac Center for Public Policy The Mackinac Center for Public Policy () in Midland, Michigan, is the largest U.S. state-based free market think tank in the United States. The Mackinac Center conducts policy research and educational programs. The Center sponsors MichiganVotes. ...

* M. Richard Rose (1955-2021) – former President of Alfred University and the

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private research university in the town of Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional ...

* Robert J. Stevens – chairman, president, and chief executive officer of the

Lockheed Martin Corporation The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is ...

* C. Vivian Stringer – college basketball coach * John Stuper – professional baseball player and college baseball coach * Lou Trivino – professional baseball player * Royce Waltman – college basketball coach *

Richard Schweiker Richard Schultz Schweiker (June 1, 1926 – July 31, 2015) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 14th U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Ronald Reagan from 198 ...

– politician; former United States Senator from Pennsylvania (1969–1981) and former

United States Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

(1981–1983)

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slippery Rock University Of Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1889 Universities and colleges in Butler County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Public universities and colleges in Pennsylvania 1889 establishments in Pennsylvania