s an aspiring educator, Dimajio Locante is well aware of the importance of providing opportunities for young people to develop their skills and broaden their horizons. Locante, a Slippery Rock University sophomore secondary education major from Pittsburgh, got to do hands-on work last summer with former Pittsburgh Steeler Charlie Batch’s Camp Batch, which seeks to provide students with such opportunities. Locante’s experience with the camp also gave him unique insight for his teaching career.

The experience underscored the importance of education as advancement and informs Locante’s own philosophy as a future educator and as a leader.

“I love helping people, and I love the idea of being able to mold young minds, not just to be able to adjust to society, but to be able to shape it,” Locante said. “Kids are the future.”

Locante applied his experience at Camp Batch to what he contributes to SRU community as he prepares for his teaching career.

In Locante’s opinion, the lion’s share of mentorship is relationship building, in the classroom and beyond as a youth mentor and leader among his peers as the president of Black Action Society at SRU.

“Collaboration is very important to me,” Locante said. “I want my classroom to be a social and collaborative space, and collaboration is something that I had to learn as a leader.”

“That’s when we’re the strongest,” he said. “That’s when we can truly advocate for our culture and speak on our experiences and build community on campus. Being an advocate in Black Action Society and in the classroom go hand in hand for me. It’s about making connections to meet goals.”

Locante’s work is all about people. Connecting people, advocating for people and helping others to be the best that they can be.

“When I wake up, my first thought is boom, ‘How can I make someone’s day today?,’” Locante said. “(This approach) builds community and it builds relationships. That’s what you need to do because we’re humans and we need each other.”

For him, it’s all about spreading that spark, something that he knows he can do in the classroom and also hopes to do by starting his own non-profit one day, investing in young people the same way that his mentor Batch does.

“We’re meant to share our light,” Locante said. “We’re meant to spread our joy.”

rislyn Green was empowered by opportunities at Slippery Rock University, from classroom learning and campus involvement to practical experience through her internships with a Fortune 500 company.

A senior management major, Green never considered a career in the financial services industry before her 10-week internship with BNY in Pittsburgh last summer. That opened her up to possibilities for her career, but it also motivated her to blaze a trail for other women like her.

“We established this organization to empower women in the business world,” Green said. “We do a lot of professional events and networking as well as attending conferences. It’s so important to us because it helps people to get excited about their career.

“We’re really invested in exposing members to opportunities that allow them to grow professionally and to be prepared for their careers.”

One of the things that Green’s organization seeks to prepare members for is the necessity of collaboration in business. While the business finance world that Green is emerging into is often perceived as a cutthroat and perhaps isolating world, she maintains that collaboration is crucial to success in business.

“In this world, you do have deadlines and it’s a very fast-paced environment, but you also have to be able to delegate tasks to one another and to work together to get everything accomplished,” Green said. “There’s really no better feeling than to achieve something great together and to navigate challenges together.”

On top of Women in Business, Green is also the president of Society for Human Resource Management at SRU, and she has spent significant time working with her fellow executive members to provide opportunities for members through that organization as well. She also attends Butler County Chamber of Commerce meetings to network with other area professionals in order to learn from, connect with and serve other members of her community.

Upon graduating from SRU in May, Green joined BNY full-time as an analyst.

“I’m excited to be an SRU alum, to continue to support Women in Business at SRU, and to continue being involved in professional organizations in Pittsburgh and in Butler County,” she said.

While Green will continue to climb higher in her professional life, she is committed to staying connected to the places and organizations where she developed into the young professional that she is today.

“Education does so many things,” Haverlack said. “It is the best way to stop the cycle of generational poverty because not only does it equip you with the skill set, but it also equips you with discipline and it enables belief in yourself.”

An SRU education, in particular, is something that Haverlack believes in. After earning a degree in environmental science, he went on to become a successful business executive in the companion animal consumer product industry.

After growing up near Slippery Rock and graduating from his hometown University, Haverlack became a logistics manager for Ralston Purina before working as a vice president of logistics in the H.J. Heinz Company. He later became president and chief operating officer of Meadville-based Ainsworth Pet Nutrition. After retiring in 2012, he and Rhonda were cofounders and principals of Targeted Pet Treats headquartered in Warren, a business that they later sold.

Throughout his career, Haverlack developed high-performing teams, earning a reputation for driving growth through “people-first” strategies. During his retirement he committed to sharing his approach to leadership and business as a three-time published and two-time Amazon Best Selling author.

“Education has always been my passion,” Haverlack said. “I’ve always wanted to teach, and I’ve always tried to teach my employees and my superiors or anybody that will let me teach them. And I said to myself, ‘How can we help the most people with the kind of amount of money we have to work with?’ That’s when I thought about the University and what it meant to me as a student. The stewardship and leadership that currently is (at SRU) is about as close to perfect as you could get. That’s why I chose to make an investment.”

“We never imagined we’d have this opportunity,” said Rhonda Haverlack. “Slippery Rock will always be home for Elliott, and it’s become a special place for both of us. Our hope is that every student who walks through these doors knows that the opportunities available to them are limitless.”

Not only did Elliott Haverlack make a financial commitment to SRU’s business programs, but he became a student by enrolling in the Master of Business Administration program last fall, saying he never worked at anything in his life harder than earning a graduate degree at age 67. Being compelled to stand by the product and attending the school that bears his name are consistent with his strong beliefs. When Haverlack worked at Heinz, he would eat ketchup every time he’d eat in a restaurant — despite not liking it.

The Rock, however, fits his tastes.

“Slippery Rock offers the best blend of authenticity, approachability and affordability,” Haverlack said. “All are welcome, and you’re going to get the real deal when you come here.”

Within the Haverlack College is a School of Business that is globally recognized. Only 6% of schools have earned the prestigious AASCB accreditation. Vemala considers the Haverlack’s investment and naming as a catalytic moment that future-proofs the college and strengthens SRU’s role as an economic and leadership engine for western Pennsylvania and beyond.

“We are profoundly honored by the Haverlack family’s extraordinary generosity,” said SRU President Karen Riley. “This gift is more than philanthropy, it is a legacy of vision, purpose and enduring impact that will empower future generations to learn, lead and succeed.”

Ben Addison is a lifelong number cruncher. Sure, there are nuances and facets to his work in technology asset review, risk management and governance that he could get into, but his job is to help others succeed within standards. He started in the insurance industry before working 28 years for PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the largest accounting firms in the world.

Now that he’s retired, Addison reflected on his career and what his SRU education has meant to him.

“I had a successful career because of Slippery Rock,” said Addison, who graduated in 1987 with a degree in computer science and a minor in business. “As many others who have donated back, I’m just grateful for the education that Slippery Rock provided me, and I just want to keep it going.”

Like his career mission to help other succeed within the standards, Addison is “keeping it going” by empowering students to achieve. Support from scholarships funded by alumni like him, prevents students from having to crunch the numbers and make difficult decisions.

“I hear the stories of people dropping out during their sophomore or junior years because they didn’t have the money and couldn’t continue on,” Addison said. “I was the first in my family to go to college, and I was fortunate enough that my parents paid for my education, along with the help of scholarships, and I came out with zero student debt, which was almost unheard of back then for a family from Sharon, Pennsylvania, whose dad worked for General Motors. So I was very grateful for all of the scholarships that I received, and if I hadn’t received them, I probably would not have been able to go to Slippery Rock. Scholarships are the catalyst that keeps people going to the finish line.”

Having just crossed the finish line of his career and into retirement, Addison continues to be a starter — that is, a Firestarter — through his philanthropic support.

“Leading a high-performing team of individuals who are all driving toward accomplishing a major goal,” said Conley, a 1990 graduate with a degree in health services administration. “That opportunity really helped develop and initiate my leadership skill set. And then in the classroom, I had opportunities to do projects for hospital administration where I got to lead small teams on trying to accomplish a goal of a case study that our professors were leading us toward.”

As Conley has gone on to achieve success in his career, he continues to invest in SRU because the University is providing optimal conditions for more students like him to flourish.

“The importance now is investing in it to make sure that legacy of success continues — administrative success, athletic success and academic success, as well as the success of being a student in today’s environment, which gets harder from a cost perspective,” Conley said. “Slippery Rock has just done an amazing job over decades, so it’s about investing in and supporting a university that knows how to do it and do it right.”

A rising junior marketing major who is a member of The Rock track and cross country teams, Hartman was part of a student group who read Haverlack’s “Firestarter.” She’s a standout in the classroom and is engaged on campus as a member of a Christian student organization and secretary of the American Marketing Association chapter at SRU.

“One of our sayings on the cross country team is that anybody can be a leader,” Hartman said. “Being on a team helps me put others before myself and encourage them.”

Motivated by her campus involvement and mentorship opportunities at SRU, Hartman plans to pursue a career as a marketing project manager after she graduates. She has learned that leadership is less about filling a role and more about how she interacts with other people every day.

“SRU has positioned me for success and given me the confidence to become a leader,” Hartman said. “Thanks to the Haverlacks and all the coaches, professors, donors and everyone who contributes to the student experience here at SRU, I now have a fire that cannot be extinguished.”

Sukhija, who is the director of SRU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Advanced Computing, was recently named a Trusted CI Fellow, one of only 10 individuals selected for this prestigious cyberinfrastructure fellowship through the National Science Foundation’s Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. Sukhija has participated in research and management of several projects regarding high-performance computing and software security over the last 20 years. His areas of expertise include computing focused on performance modeling, robustness and resilience analysis, cybersecurity, cyber analytics and big data analytics.

“I have found that blended learning has significantly improved student outcomes in my classroom,” Sukhija said. “This dynamic approach connects theoretical concepts with real-world applications in computing and cybersecurity, creating an engaging learning environment.“

Sukhija also actively fosters adaptability and continuous upskilling, which allow students to build analytical foundations and develop relationships and the leadership abilities that they need for long-term success in today’s evolving technological landscape.

The Cybersecurity and Advanced Computing Center, launched in 2018, provides students with opportunities to seek mentorship and participate in research and events in cybersecurity and related fields, affording undergraduate students with invaluable experiences that they cannot access at many larger institutions.

Under Sukhija’s guidance SRU students are positioned to be collaborative achievers responding to engaging questions, creating solutions and establishing themselves as prominent voices.

Thangiah has become a recognized expert in developing artificial intelligence algorithms to solve complex transportation problems, specifically vehicle routing and scheduling problems that have saved school districts up to 20% on their transportation costs through greater efficiency.

“AI is best and most often used for solving unstructured problems,” Thangiah said. “Structured problems are when you go through a sequence of steps to solve it, and every time you give it an input, you’ll get the same output. AI is unstructured so that if you give an input, you could end up getting different outputs for the same input. Artificial intelligence algorithms should be capable of learning and adapting.”

“AI isn’t just for coders or computing majors,” Thangiah said. “It’s impacting a large number of majors and professions.”

Examples include the banking industry using AI for detecting and preventing fraud and doctors using AI to read X-rays and scans to identify and diagnose health problems that they might have missed previously. One of the recent milestones in medical science involves protein folding, which is the process by which a protein chain twists into its correct 3-D shape so it can work properly. This application is important because misfolding can cause diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cystic fibrosis.

“AI is going to have a large impact on the workforce, because any job that is repetitive in nature is most probably going to get replaced by AI,” Thangiah said. “Everything from manufacturing to customer service, even to point to where there will be robots flipping burgers.”

That doesn’t mean opportunities are disappearing. Instead, they’re shifting toward higher-level work that requires creativity, critical thinking and the ability to build and manage intelligent systems. SRU’s curriculum reflects that reality by embedding AI methods and models into computer science, cybersecurity, information technology, and data analytics courses.

“Employers want graduates who can communicate, collaborate and innovate; it’s not just about knowing the theory,” Thangiah said. “Here at SRU, our students are learning how to implement AI models, work in teams and present their solutions. These are skills that make them stand out to companies looking for more than just academic knowledge.”

lifelong advocate for Slippery Rock University and a benefactor of the University’s Storm Harbor Equestrian Center, Paul Rizza, Ph.D., left an impact that goes beyond his time as a faculty member – it will be felt for decades to come.

Rizza served SRU from 1972-98 before retiring as professor and chair of the Geography and Environmental Studies Department, but his legacy also includes his commitments to students, global outreach, service in the community and as one of SRU’s most resounding philanthropists. Rizza passed away March 13 at the age of 87.

Rizza and his wife, Carolyn Carruth Rizza, who passed away in 2022, were best known on campus for their work founding and supporting Storm Harbor Equestrian Center. Carolyn Carruth Rizza also served on the SRU faculty for 24 years before retiring in 1999 as a professor of sociology and social work. Together, the Rizzas donated more than $1 million to Storm Harbor, including money to build the center and the endowment to pay its staff.

Storm Harbor provides equine-assisted activities and equine-assisted therapies for children and adults with disabilities, serving people from more than seven counties. It also provides SRU students opportunities to serve individuals with disabilities, giving them valuable field experiences.

Rizza also contributed to scholarships and other financial investments in students and programs that helped empower growth and development.

“His legacy is so much more than about the money he gave, he actually did the work on the ground and met with scholarship recipients and got to know people,” said Jack Livingston, an SRU associate professor of environmental geosciences. “He was an incredibly engaging professor who was just always there for you, and he was incredibly supportive of our students, our department and the University.”

His achievements weren’t limited to SRU’s campus, as he was deeply engaged in service and global outreach. In 1976, he was awarded a Senior Fulbright Lectureship to Finland, which he adopted as his second country, where he was guest lecturer at three universities and he was selected to represent Finland at the European Fulbright Conference in Berlin.

A member of Rotary International for more than 50 years, he served as president of the Slippery Rock Rotary Club and later as district governor. His commitment to peace and international understanding was evident through his work with the Rotary Foundation, including supporting its Peace Fellowship Program. He and Carolyn endowed peace fellowships and traveled extensively, visiting all seven continents and 87 countries.

hile the annals of Slippery Rock University history are full of committed, passionate people who have left their mark on the University, precious few can match the particular fire and venerable reputation of Dick Wukich. A former professor of art and trustee, Wukich passed away on Dec. 25, 2025, leaving behind a vast legacy that spans both his active presence on campus and through humanitarian efforts addressing hunger and safe drinking water.

A native of North Braddock, Wukich joined the SRU art faculty in 1968, retiring in 2011. In that time, Wukich impacted the lives of students and contributed to faculty life as a founding member of SRU’s chapter of the Association of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculties.

“Dick was very much an advocate for art as a means of advancing people,” Shumway said. “He brought art to underserved communities throughout the Commonwealth.”

One of those outreach efforts was the Summer Art Academy, a program that brought students from around Pennsylvania to the SRU campus for two weeks of intensive study of artistic disciplines ranging from fine arts to music. Students from towns all throughout Pennsylvania come to campus for two weeks each summer for intensive, conservatory level study of their craft.

The Academy was born of Wukich’s desire to provide high quality arts instruction to students from smaller, less affluent schools with struggling art programs, giving students from those places an equal opportunity to pursue their passions and broaden their minds.

“He was promoting the water filter and helping people to establish facilities in Sudan, and he made a little video clip of him where he’s chanting ‘Here we go, Steelers, here we go!’ and a bunch of kids start calling back, mimicking him!” Shumway recalled, laughing. “It was just this little joyous experience where he was sharing where he came from and the kids were just enjoying the experience with him.”

That love of where he came from was something that spoke to Shumway throughout their time together.

“He showed the importance of staying true to who you are and standing up for what you believe in,” Shumway added. “He had very strongly held convictions, and he held them to his dying day.”

It is clear that Wukich left an impression on those who knew him with his strong personality alone, but this larger-than-life figure’s legacy is ultimately defined by those he helped as a teacher and activist.

restling is a sport that changes lives, and western Pennsylvania is a place where the best wrestlers are born and raised. Now, thanks to support of loyal alumni, Slippery Rock University is once again a place where college wrestlers can thrive and develop the skills they need to succeed in life.

When SRU announced in November 2025 that the University is bringing back wrestling as a varsity sport for the 2027-28 season, former Rock wrestlers like Robert Dudley could not have been more excited because he knows how important the sport is to not only his fellow alumni but the people of western Pennsylvania and wrestling enthusiasts and, above all, for the opportunities that young men will once again have to succeed on the mat and in life.

“The sport itself changed my life,” said Dudley, ’77, a retired sales manager who began his career as a physical education teacher. “It changed my outlook and allowed me to pivot from just being able to teach to understanding how to learn. There’s a deep appreciation from one wrestler to another, because you know the toughness, hard work and everything that goes along with wrestling and what it takes to succeed.”

SRU contributed to this rich history with a successful program from 1958-2006, including a 24-year run under legendary coach Fred Powell in which the team won 66 percent of its matches and placed 10th at Division I nationals in 1974. Starting with a 19-0 season in 1969-70, Powell led the team to a seven-year stretch with a dazzling 98-9 record with nine All-Americans at both the Division I and College Division levels.

Among the many prominent wrestlers in program history is Stan Dziedzic, ’72, a national champion in 1971 who compiled a 118-2 career record and went on to win a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympic Games and a gold medal in the 1980 World Championships.

The Rock will compete in NCAA Division II when wrestling returns, the team’s level when the program went on hiatus two decades ago. NCAA rules have changed since the last time SRU fielded a wrestling team and a return to the Division I level is no longer possible.

Still, the excitement and potential for success around the sport has been building. Several supporters banded together to form SRU Wrestling Alumni and Friends Committee, now chaired by John Butch, ’72, and the University recently launched a wrestling campaign with an initial goal of $2 million.

“The passion of the past is coming back and whoever comes to Slippery Rock to wrestle will have a wealth of people supporting their work and effort,” Dudley said. “We’ve got the opportunity to bring back a very successful and respected program, and one that impacted a generation of wrestlers.”

Dudley has created a dollar-for-dollar match challenge (up to $250,000) to effectively double the impact of each additional dollar raised to help bring the program’s return to the next level.

“SRU is excited to revive its storied wrestling tradition, and counts on the support of alumni, fans, and friends to get us to the mat,” said Roberta Page, SRU director of athletics. “The campaign will help fund essential needs such as equipment, coaching, travel and scholarships, ensuring SRU wrestlers can compete among the nation’s best once again.”

“Every gift directly strengthens the program’s long-term success by creating a program that attracts and develops top-tier student-athletes,” said John Stroup ’80, a former Rock wrestler. “Your support today does not determine if Slippery Rock wrestling returns — it determines how strong it returns.”

hen Nancy Zimmerman’s daughter Kaylee was searching for colleges, she had a very clear and specific view of what she wanted to study. Despite living in Langhorne, north of Philadelphia near the New Jersey border, the Zimmerman’s found an ideal match on the other side of Pennsylvania.

A longtime musician, Kaylee wanted to study music therapy and pursue a doctorate in occupational therapy. The Zimmermans desired a school like SRU that would give Kaylee the support and opportunities she would need to reach her goals.

At many schools, occupational therapy programs operate as “3+3” programs in which students spend three years studying occupational therapy as undergraduate students before going on to spend three years in doctoral programs. While these programs do accelerate students’ progress, they aren’t always the best path for students with interests as specific and specialized as Kaylee’s.

“The approach was to do a traditional four years of undergrad in music therapy and then the three-year doctorate in occupational therapy. The school had physical therapists do this, but Kaylee was the first music therapist,” Nancy said.

The Zimmermans are a State System of Higher Education family: Kaylee’s brother recently graduated from PennWest California, and both Nancy and her husband attended state universities.

“We looked at a few private schools, too, but the state schools offer so much financially and in terms of overall experience,” Nancy said.

While the Zimmermans knew the merits of state schools, their first visit to the town of Slippery Rock for a tour of the University helped seal the deal.

After that first visit, Kaylee, a French horn player, was put in touch with French horn players on campus and even had a French horn lesson conducted via Zoom with a faculty member. Then, when Kaylee went in for her audition for the music therapy program, she got the opportunity to sit in on classes and to meet other music therapy students who showed her around campus and had lunch with her.

“Everyone went out of their way for her,” Nancy said. “After we got home, she was like, ‘That’s it. It’s Slippery Rock. I don’t need to look anywhere else.’”

Kaylee’s advisers in music therapy and occupational therapy also worked together to ensure that she was poised to approach issues from both disciplinary perspectives to make her a consummate expert in both fields.

While the Zimmermans live on the other side of the state, they knew that SRU was the place for Kaylee when they experienced the University’s commitment to going the extra mile to help students meet their personal career goals. The Zimmermans had the confidence to say ‘yes’ to SRU because SRU first said ‘yes’ to Kaylee’s goals.

Dozens of the 200 employees at Green Cabbage are former college athletes, including Cunningham who played football at The Rock. But that’s not the only recipe to Green Cabbage’s success with ingredients sourced from SRU.

Cunningham credits the knowledge, network and social skills that he gained at The Rock to prepare him to lead an emerging international company.

“Some of my first phone calls every day are from people that I went to Slippery Rock with, and my last phone calls are people I went to Slippery Rock with,” Cunningham said. “I walked away with a lot of lifelong friendships, but a network, too. That helped me grow my business.”

Cunningham gives back to SRU as part of what he calls a “circle of life,” one where today’s alumni recognize they were once supported by others and feel a responsibility to pay that forward.

His story highlights how the University’s growth (its facilities, programs and opportunities) exists because generations of supporters chose to invest in students they would never meet. Now, he sees giving back not just as generosity, but as a shared obligation to ensure future students have the same opportunities he did.

“Slippery Rock gave me a lot, so I feel responsible to give it back,” Cunningham said. “Somebody was there to donate to help build these buildings, or (provide resources to start a) new track within the curriculum. I just think that if people are in that position, they should give back. Even a little bit helps a lot and it’s not always about money. There are other ways to give back.”

Making those daily phone calls and strengthening the SRU network while helping others win at the game of life is also part of giving back.

“At our company, we’ve people who went to Stanford, Wharton School of Business, Harvard and all these Ivy League schools,” Cunningham said. “I’m proud to say that I went to Slippery Rock University.”

“I studied a lot of the behavior of missing people as an undergrad, so I understand the psychology of people in this situation, and we also deal with a lot of psychological issues when people are missing,” Johnson said. “My PA degree also helped me to be able to perform medical care in the wilderness, if necessary.”

Ross and Johnson were thrilled to find that they were both SRU alums once they met through the K9 unit.

“Any time I hear that someone is an SRU alum, it’s so nice to say, ‘Hey! I’m an alum too!’” Ross said.

Their shared affinity for SRU created an immediate connection between the two of them, adding a new level of meaning to their already crucial work.

Ross and Johnson also shared some important tips regarding the pursuit of missing people.

“If you have a family member or friend who is missing, call 9-1-1 quickly,” Johnson said. “Not everyone in public safety has expertise in searches, so it’s important to call quickly and request those services. We work closely with law enforcement and fire departments and game wardens, so get in touch quickly and request us.”

“We want to bring closure,” Ross said. “Whether we find a loved one alive or deceased, we want to provide closure. But our goal is to find people’s loved ones alive, and an early response helps us to do that. We want to bring the lost home.

early three decades after graduating from Slippery Rock University, Sharif Bey, ’98, returns to his hometown’s cultural forefront with a landmark exhibition at The Andy Warhol Museum—a full-circle moment that reflects both the scale of his artistic ascent and the enduring influence of his SRU roots.

“When I was a student at SRU, the Andy Warhol Museum was just getting started,” said Bey, who earned his degree in fine arts: ceramics. “And, since I’ve graduated, I’ve gone off and done quite a few things, but I’m coming full circle here.”

Bey is a professor of studio art at Syracuse University where he’s been a faculty member since 2009. He had the opportunity to come home to Pittsburgh to display his artwork back in 2021 for the Carnegie Museum of Art, but this time feels much different.

For Bey, “larger” is both physical and metaphorical, as his sculptures have generated massive amounts of buzz for their monumental size and scale. He creates complex sculptures inspired by modernism, functional pottery and Oceanic African Art.

“When I’m saying larger scale,” Bey said, “I mean that literally. The works in this upcoming exhibition are mostly monumental. I’m talking five to six and a half feet tall.”

At this point in Bey’s career, the definition of “homecoming” has taken on a different meaning. It is not just about returning home to Pittsburgh, but also about embracing the point of life that you are in and taking pride in where you come from.

“The focus of this show is on homecoming, and what it means to come back to an art community as a seasoned professional,” Bey said. “There aren’t a lot of mid-career Pittsburgh artists who were born and raised there, like I was. I feel like there’s a unique perspective here. I’m turning 52, but I don’t see myself slowing down for another 25 to 30 years at least. I’m excited about this chapter of my life, not only as a working artist, but in being able to take inspiration from my hometown. My city.”

“The impetus of my earliest work was the vessel, and I started to make them at a very young age,” Bey said. “I worked in a community center called the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild; it’s a nationally known community arts organization. They had a world-class visiting artist program, which was so impactful that the arts community, hobbyists, local colleges and professors would converge to partake in it. This program received sponsorship in part by SRU, thanks to the efforts of Richard Wukich.”

Wukich was a faculty member at SRU from 1968-2011 who passed away in December (see page 15 for memorial).

“Richard was instrumental in working with the founder of the Manchester Craftsmen,” Bey said. “He ensured that these workshops were funded. So here I was, 14 or 15 years old, and I was engaging in hands-on workshops with college students, most of whom were from SRU.”

The early exposure to college-level art encouraged Bey to pursue a career centered around creativity and community.

During his time at SRU, Bey would go on to travel abroad for a symposium, and from 1994-95, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, before earning his degree at SRU. Bey later earned a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Ph.D. in art education from Pennsylvania State University.

“The thing that made my time at SRU so special, is that when you’d work with other students, you get their network,” Bey said. “Their network then became a part of the arts and educational community. The faculty would host workshops or they would bring other artists in. They’d bring their teachers and colleagues from various universities.”

Bey felt as if there was always a major sense of community among the students and faculty while attending the University, something that could only be captured at a place like Slippery Rock.

“One of the humble things about the programming that came out of SRU was that we were taught how to engage with a bigger world from a smaller stage,” Bey said.

Bey’s “Homecoming” exhibition at the Andy Warhol Museum not only highlights his growth as a nationally recognized sculptor, but also reflects the impact of his roots in Pittsburgh. His journey, from early community art programs to international study and large-scale exhibitions, represents how strong artistic foundations and meaningful mentorship can shape a career.

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