Greetings,

There are many words that I could use to describe Slippery Rock University, but if I had to capture the general atmosphere with one word it would be “momentum.” There’s an unmistakable energy on our campus — a shared belief that we are not just preparing students for the future but actively shaping it.

This past year marked the first full year of our new strategic plan, entitled “Slippery Rock University: The First Choice,” and already we are seeing extraordinary results. Our goal was to increase first-to-second-year student retention by just half a percentage point each year. Instead, we achieved another record-breaking 2.6% increase, raising our retention rate to 86.4%, far above the national average. That number tells a powerful story of what happens when a community believes in its students and supports them. Every success coach, professor, and staff member has played a part in helping our students not just to stay here but to thrive.

We are also redefining what it means to serve our region. From our partnerships with local hospital systems, to new academic programs in electrical engineering, construction management, and nursing, SRU is ensuring that students gain real-world skills that meet the needs of today’s workforce. Initiatives that work closely with employers and provide degree pathways for students help us fulfill our mission to prepare graduates for success while also strengthening the communities where they will live and lead.

If you have been to campus lately, you’ll see that we are investing in spaces because we are committed to facilitating the growth of the people who learn and work at SRU. New athletic fields, renovated labs, and upgraded facilities reflect our commitment to excellence and equity. When young visitors step onto campus for a tournament or camp and say, “I want to go to college here,” we know we’re inspiring the next generation of SRU students.

Looking ahead, our vision is bold and deeply human. Through new pathways like teacher apprenticeships and professional certificates, we are opening doors for learners at every stage of life. Whether your family has a collegebound high school student, you’re a returning adult learner, or you’re an alum shaping your own community, SRU is here to help you keep moving forward with the positive momentum that we all sense across campus.

SRU has always been a place where determination meets opportunity. Together, with our alumni leading by example, we are proving that The Rock truly is the first choice for those who believe education can change lives.

With pride and gratitude,

Karen Riley
President, Slippery Rock University

hat began as a summer internship turned into a career path for Michael Powell, a Slippery Rock University chemistry major who will graduate next year with a job offer waiting for him in his dream career field.

A senior from Mt. Joy, Powell will join Metso as a laboratory operations technician upon graduating in the spring after completing a summer internship as a lab technician. Metso is a Finnish industrial company that provides sustainable technologies for aggregates, mining, recycling and metals refining.

Throughout his three-month-long role in Metso’s test center in York, Powell worked on projects ranging from sample preparation and laboratory inventory, to integrating standard protocols for chemical reactions. Powell’s work introduced him to collaborative global experiences, working with labs in Texas, California and even as far as a Finland and Brazil.

“I learned the administrative work of a laboratory, something you can’t get without experience, and I also learned how to be extremely analytical,” Powell said. “I learned industrial instrumentation, which was a huge bonus, versus research instrumentation that most college labs have.”

After showing his chemistry expertise and refining his skills, Powell was offered a temporary, year-long role at the York lab, where he will focus on elemental analysis, inventory, and communication between labs.

“Chemistry has always been my passion, but I often thought about if I would be able to create a career out of it,” he said. “What this opportunity showed me was that science isn’t dead.”

Powell said he was able to use his experience at SRU to achieve his new position. He attributes his experience as the president of the Chemistry Club at SRU, research with faculty and professional guidance by SRU professors Qi Chen and Thaddeus Boron, to his success in securing his job with Metso.

or Slippery Rock University senior Bailey Kuhn, a lifelong passion for the Pittsburgh Penguins turned into a career-defining opportunity behind the cameras of one of the NHL’s most successful franchises.

Kuhn, a strategic communication and media major from Volant, worked as an onsite video producer and editor intern for the Penguins last summer. She recorded and edited practices, press conferences and community events while gaining insight into the daily operations at PPG Paints Arena.

“What stood out to me most were their values and culture,” Kuhn said. “Even though I was ‘just an intern,’ I truly felt like I had a place within the organization. I had my own workspace, received helpful feedback and got to see a lot of things the average fan doesn’t.”

A typical day included setting up player interviews, filming drills, capturing press conferences and logging footage for the team’s social media and broadcast channels. Kuhn gained hands-on experience with professional Sony FS7 cameras and even met Penguins legends Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

“This experience really challenged me,” Kuhn said. “It gave me the chance to work with high-definition cameras and gain experience in a professional environment. I met so many people, including the players, and took every opportunity to make new connections.”

Although her internship ended in August, Kuhn has been invited back for future opportunities, including game-day control room work.

Kuhn was able to leverage classroom experience and faculty mentorship from SRU to secure her spot in the internship.

“Video Production with Dr. Brett Barnett helped me the most with Adobe Premiere and basic editing skills,” Kuhn said. “Message Preparation with Dr. Franklyn Charles helped with interviewing. It was awesome to apply what I learned with the players.

“This experience made me realize that sports media is definitely the career path I want to pursue.”

hen Elsie Eason transferred into Slippery Rock University, she knew that she wanted to teach. A nursing major at her previous school, Eason had a close friend at SRU who pushed for her to come to The Rock to study education.

“I wanted to become a teacher for a lot of reasons,” Eason said. “I see children as so impressionable, and we need more kind, well-rounded people, so I think teaching young kids allows you to make a difference in how people think and view the world for the rest of their lives.”

A program that Eason found particularly impactful for her experience at SRU was RockTEACH, a program that offers prospective teachers a glimpse into what being an educator looks like. RockTEACH forges partnerships with local high schools and connects students to education faculty and SRU education majors. For Eason, this provided her an opportunity to connect with and invest in students from underrepresented groups by helping to ensure that their education is relevant to their lives and that they are valued in the educational environment. As a woman of color in education, this work was important to Eason.

Now, Eason is a senior special education major with a focus on autistic support. While fulfilling her student-teaching requirement, Eason is working at Brookline Elementary School in Pittsburgh in a classroom with third and fourth graders who are on the autism spectrum. Through her student teaching, Eason gained experiences that wouldn’t have been possible in a college classroom setting.

“In my classes, we talk a lot about the range of behaviors that special needs students can present,” Eason said. “It was nice to be able to connect those conversations from the classroom to my students.”

Even when the classroom environment is stressful, Eason knows this is where she is meant to be.

“I like seeing my students grow,” Eason said. “There have been a few times where I’ll teach a lesson and they’re just not getting it that day. Then I’ll come in next time and they’ll nail everything and that’s when you know that they’re really progressing.”

Slippery Rock University dance faculty member is bringing knowledge and understanding of Colombian culture to a brand-new stage. Melissa Teodoro, a professor of dance, conducted dance ethnography research in Colombia on the banks of the Magdalena River, yielding exciting new creative projects and scholarly works that she is sharing at SRU and in the dance community throughout western Pennsylvania.

“I’ve been fascinated with Colombian dance and music for over 30 years,” said Teodoro. “Colombia was my go-to when I was doing my research, but the river has really captured my attention over the last few years.”

Teodoro was able to expand her research after she earned the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar award for the 2024-25 academic year.

During her 2025 spring sabbatical, Teodoro traveled down the Magdalena River, spanning the length of the country, documenting aspects of the cultural lives of communities living on the banks. Her journey down the river gave her an understanding of its importance in Colombian culture with Teodoro developing the impression that the river itself carries the history of the nation.

“I was immersed in life on and around the river, so that allowed me to talk to fishermen and ladies who wash their clothes and cook on the river as well as historians and dancers and architects,” said Teodoro. “Those interactions helped me to see how dance is connected to the river.”

After conducting her field research, Teodoro authored her paper “Rio: Dancing Down the Magdalena,” explaining the various dances and festivals that were associated with different areas of the river.

Teodoro presented her research at the SRU Faculty Research Symposium. The paper then informed the upcoming dance concert, “Yuma,” a performance featuring SRU dance students that Teodoro will be choreographing. “Yuma” will be performed at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh this March.

“Yuma” is inspired by the same path that Teodoro took when she sailed the river, starting at its widest, northernmost point and culminating at the narrow southernmost extremity, framing this movement as the birth, life and death of the river. It will feature pieces choreographed in the styles that Teodoro found in her travels.

The performers in “Yuma” are comprised of members of “Palenque,” the touring Afro-Colombian dance ensemble at SRU for which Teodoro serves as artistic director.

“Palenque was founded about 13 years ago, and at that point my research was very separate from my teaching, but a few dance majors expressed interest in my research,” Teodoro said. “Then some more students became interested and it organically evolved into a touring company.”

The core of Teodoro’s scholarly and creative work is to expose people to cultures that they may not have previously known about, and in Teodoro’s view, there is no better way to understand culture than through dance. According to Teodoro, one can truly see the embodiment of a culture through dance.

he SRU Jazz Ensemble turned 50 this fall, and generations of performers and faculty came together to celebrate the legacy of the band at the 50th anniversary concert on Oct. 18.

Of the more than 300 attendees, at least 200 were alumni of the SRU Music Department. The concert served to honor those alum, but more importantly, it was a tribute to Stephen Hawk, former director of SRU Jazz, and Terry Steele, the ensemble’s founder.

“The alumni were grateful for the event,” said Jason Kush, ’04, current director of SRU Jazz and professor of music. “We’ve all found our college years to be so formative, and we made memories that last a lifetime. To be able to go back to the place where these memories were made with a purpose was special.”

At the concert, alumni Rodger Hicks, ’82, ’87M, and Patrick Kennedy, ’04, testified to the support, character and friendship of both Steele and Hawk. Hicks traveled from his home in Germany to attend and speak on his time at the University.

Steele’s leadership has shown through those whom he has passed the torch to, including Kush, a former student under Steele.

“Terry Steele is a life-changing figure for me,” Kush said. “He not only taught music, he’s one of those people who taught music through being a good person.”

Steele was hired at SRU with a mission of cultivating the University’s budding big band jazz ensemble. In the fall of 1975, SRU Jazz was born.

Steele’s inaugural iteration of the band started the progress that led it to its first European tour in 1991—a 10-day, seven-concert run in the Soviet Union, with many of the students having never flown on an airplane before.

Steele founded the jazz combos, a small group endeavor often featuring a six-piece ensemble.

“Big band music is for dancing,” Steele said. “A large ensemble experience is crucial, but combos place an emphasis on improvisation.”

By the early 2000s, SRU jazz combos were on a rotating gig schedule at North Country Brewing Co., performing in exchange for a free meal.

In 2007, Steele retired to pursue performance opportunities, but his ties to SRU remained intact.

“I’m really proud of how Slippery Rock has supported the Jazz Ensemble,” Steele said. “Hawk and Kush have kept the momentum going, and it’s better now than it was when we started. He’s got a band now that is just fabulous. The progress doesn’t stand still; it just keeps getting better.”

Steele’s perspective at the 50-year mark is one of pride and hope for the band’s current players.

“The students now are at that place where they’re young and learning like I was, and they’ll fall in love with it,” Steele said. “That’s why they become teachers and professional players.”

Steele emphasized this lifelong connection with music.

“Music is something you can’t outgrow,” he said. “I’m 78 years old and I still play my sax for an hour every day. It’s a love—music is in my blood. It makes me feel grounded.”

Kush acknowledged the significance of the concert for current students with the alumni in attendance.

“The students could see Jazz Ensemble is more than a class—it’s the relationships and memories you make,” Kush said. “Music has a unique power that bonds us together, and that was on display.”

Steele echoed this sentiment: “Music is the love of my life, so it’s easy to talk about it.”

Your gift helps fund scholarships that keep SRU student musicians learning, performing and sharing their passion for jazz. Because of you, the next generation of artists can continue to make The Rock swing.

lumni can share all they can about their lives after attending Slippery Rock University, but few could match the legacy of Edwin Cottrell, ’43. His story is rare on longevity alone. He lived 103 years — 82 years after he graduated — before passing away March 25, 2025.

What made Cottrell extraordinary was what he did in the sky in the immediate years after leaving Slippery Rock and in the final years of his life. That’s not to say he didn’t live a life of meaning, service and purpose in between, but people take notice if you’re among the last living veterans of World War II, having flown 65 combat missions over Germany as a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter pilot. Then, to honor his fallen WWII roommates, Cottrell performed tandem parachute jumps while celebrating his 90th and 100th birthdays.

Born in Oklahoma City, Cottrell moved to Slippery Rock in 1922 when his father, Elmer, began teaching in the Health and Physical Education Department. Cottrell attended SRU and played varsity football, basketball and tennis, as well as club baseball. Athletics were in his blood, as Elmer coached swimming, tennis, golf, basketball and football at SRU.

Cottrell earned his pilot’s license when he was an SRU student through a government program and he met his wife, the former Millie Weed, at SRU when they were freshmen. The couple was engaged before Cottrell left for the war during his senior year. Millie, who also graduated in 1943, passed away in 2020.

After the war, Cottrell returned home to begin raising two daughters, but he continued serving in the Air Force Reserves for 28 years.

Cottrell followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a college coach and health and physical education professor, spending most of his career at West Chester University, from 1954-80, including 20 years as WCU’s golf coach. During retirement, he worked for the National Golf Foundation, promoting golf in schools around the U.S.

His roots at SRU were something Cottrell would never forget. In 2004, Cottrell and his sister established a scholarship at SRU in their father’s name. Cottrell, who lived in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where he would live until his death, returned to campus on several occasions.

Cottrell earned many honors and awards for not only his military service but his commitment to education and golf. Most recently, he received the French Legion of Honor Medal in 2024.

Since his passing, there have been several celebratory events coordinated by multiple veterans support organizations, including a missing man formation flyover, a fighting tribute to a man whose legacy started at the Rock before taking flight.

or more than 135 years, Slippery Rock University has provided accessible and affordable higher education that has enhanced the quality of life for learners in western Pennsylvania and beyond. But why is there a public university in the small town of Slippery Rock?

Tens of thousands of students have come to know the community in northern Butler County with a peculiar name as a place to prepare for careers and develop as people, citizens and leaders. Although enrollment at SRU is more than 8,300 students, Slippery Rock’s population has never exceeded 5,000, and there are many larger communities in the region that could be home to a state-owned university.

The Pennsylvania Normal School Act of 1857 designated Butler, Beaver and Allegheny counties as one of 12 districts in the state where institutions could be created for training teachers, but no charter was issued until 1889 when a group from Centreville, which was and later officially became known as Slippery Rock, raised the money to establish a school.

“The answer to ‘Why Slippery Rock?’ was the people,” said Robert Watson, a retired SRU administrator whose great grandfather was one of the original stockholders of the Slippery Rock State Normal School Association. “The people here wanted something more for their sons and daughters. They were frugal people whose priorities were faith, family and this sense of freedom in America that gave them new life and opportunity. We just had a collection of people in and around the Slippery Rock area who had a great deal of conviction and commitment that they were doing something of value.”

Watson graduated from SRU in 1970 and worked at the University for 36 years before retiring as vice president for student affairs in 2006. He began researching the history of SRU as part of his doctoral dissertation at the University of Pittsburgh in the 1970s, and in 2011 he published a book, “Slippery Rock University: The Legend Behind the Name.”

According to Watson, the Normal School Act had provisions intended to improve the quality of education for teachers, and by extension the children they educated, to impact people in rural areas. But community members were tasked with raising money.

The Slippery Rock State Normal School Association collected funds using a subscription plan that, by May 1888, totaled $17,325. As Watson noted, that was an impressively large sum of money pledged by local citizens for a school whose future was not certain.

Construction of three campus buildings was already underway in spring 1888 as stockholders meticulously prepared for an inspection by a committee appointed by then Pennsylvania Gov. James Beaver. Local stockholders visited other approved state normal schools, including one that opened a year earlier in Clarion, and on Feb. 1, 1889, inspection committee members consisting of school superintendents in western Pennsylvania visited Slippery Rock and indicated that they would recommend the site for a state normal school.

Just 54 days later, on March 26, Slippery Rock State Normal School conducted its first classes, enrolling 168 students including 94 women. More than two-thirds of the students were from Butler County, with the rest coming from Mercer, Lawrence, Allegheny, Beaver and Armstrong counties.

Tuition was $14 per term, $32 for room and board and 25 cents for transportation from the train station three and a half miles away.

In the announcement of the first term, the “special advantages” listed by President James Morrow included “Healthfulness; convenience; noted honesty, hospitality, and religious character of community; new, commodious buildings, thoroughly warmed and ventilated.”

There were two dormitories, North Hall and South Hall, with steam heat and natural gas light. Classes, in the Chapel, included psychology, geometry, physics, Caesar, general history and methods. Activities included lawn tennis, croquet, baseball and two-hour socials one night each week. Old Main, which was built in 1892, is the oldest remaining structure on campus, after North Hall burned down and was rebuilt in 1937.

Based on its normal school heritage, SRU produced thousands of teachers for western Pennsylvania. Like most normal schools of the era, the school evolved to offer degree programs in other disciplines to meet the demands of the local workforce.

The school was renamed Slippery Rock State Teachers College in 1927 and Slippery Rock State College in 1960, before becoming Slippery Rock University in 1983 when the State System of Higher Education was established.

Today, SRU offers more than 150 profession-focused and industry-aligned undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs on its vibrant campus that stretches across 660 acres within Slippery Rock borough and township.

SRU’s mission has stood the test of time thanks to investment by the people in the 1880s who recognized the value of higher education for generations to come.

“The residents who invested all that money asked if they were getting any interest paid on their money,” Watson said. “The abrupt response was ‘no,’ but they all came away with the understanding that the interest that they earned was the opportunity for their children and grandchildren to gain a higher education. That was the interest that continues to be paid today.”