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Top Student in the State System

Abby Becker, who graduated from SRU in May at age 19 with a degree in mathematics, won the prestigious Syed R. Ali-Zaidi Award for Academic Excellence from Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. As the top graduating senior across all 10 State System schools, Becker is the first winner from SRU since 2014. She finished her degree in just two years after taking community colleges courses in high school.

She’s now working as an actuary analyst at Erie Insurance and plans to pursue a master’s degree in actuary science through an online program at Boston University.

A smiling young woman wearing glasses and a dark green Slippery Rock University sweatshirt, framed by a textured green circular background.
The ornate dome of a capitol building features green tiling and a gold statue at its peak, viewed past large classical stone columns under a clear blue sky.

Case for Investment

A woman in a black blazer speaks into a microphone at a panel or hearing with her hands clasped on the table. A man in a suit and glasses sits next to her in the background.
At a time when many colleges and universities across the nation are confronting enrollment declines and uncertainty, SRU continues to demonstrate that strategic investment in student success produces measurable results.

  • Undergraduate enrollment is up 3.4%, the largest single-year increase in 20 years.
  • The first-year class is the largest cohort at SRU since 2019.
  • 86.4% of the first-year students from fall 2024 returned in 2025, which is the highest retention rate in the State System in the last decade and an SRU record.
  • 58.3% of undergraduates are graduating in four years, which is the highest graduation rate in the State System in the last 20 years and an SRU record.

SRU President Karen Riley gave a testimony before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee on March 11 at the State Capitol in Harrisburg, highlighting SRU’s strong performance and growing momentum, while underscoring the value of continued investment in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.

Click here for a summary of her testimony.

Launching Aviation Careers

Future pilots can now earn their bachelor’s degree at SRU thanks to a forward-thinking “co-enrollment” model that is allowing students to be simultaneously enrolled at SRU and the aviation pathway at Community College of Beaver County (CCBC).

Students will progress toward an associate degree from CCBC and a four-year bachelor’s degree from SRU, securing a solid foundation for growth in the high-demand field of aviation.

Two small propeller airplanes parked on an airport tarmac under a clear sky. The airplane in the foreground is white and dark green, while a second white and green plane is visible in the background.
A smiling man in a maroon polo shirt organizes stacks of canned goods in a food pantry filled with metal wire shelving.

Hunger-Free Campus

A cardboard box filled with assorted groceries, including fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and canned goods, against a white background. An apple, tomato, and cucumber sit on the surface next to the box.
One of SRU’s commitments to student success is combatting food insecurity through the nurturing support of programs like Rock Pantry+, which offers SRU students free food, toiletries and other resources. Rock Pantry+ received significant boost thanks to the PA Hunger-Free Campus Grant of $60,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Hunger is a nationwide issue for college students, with 41% experiencing food insecurity. The pantry at SRU serves more than 350 unique students each semester with a combined 13,000 pantry resource visits.

A student in a Slippery Rock University t-shirt and purple medical gloves practices suturing on a synthetic skin training pad in a medical exam room.

New Four-Year Nursing Program

SRU is expanding access to one of the most meaningful and in-demand careers by introducing a four-year, pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing program beginning in fall 2026.

Adding to the University’s existing 1+2+1 nursing program and online RN-to-BSN program, this new program is designed for students who want to start and finish their nursing education at SRU.

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Community Engaged

Carnegie Foundation logo
The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has endorsed SRU with the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, recognition as one of the nation’s most prominent colleges and universities for its commitment to community engagement. SRU, which first earned this elective designation in 2020, is one of 237 institutions to earn this classification.

AACSB Accredited

AACSB Accredited logo
SRU’s School of Business within the Haverlack College of Business has once again proven to demonstrate exceptional quality. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) has extended SRU’s accreditation, reaffirming that the University’s School of Business meets the highest standards for its five-year review after AACSB first accredited SRU in 2020.

Only 6% of the world’s schools offering business degree programs are accredited by AACSB International. Schools with AACSB accreditation offer higher-quality programs that directly benefit students, result in increased graduation rates and produce graduates who are sought after by leading employers.

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