Slippery Rock University

Neva Lilla and Benjamin Porter are gaining valuable experience conducting research at Slippery Rock University to study grief and loss support groups with and without the use of therapy dogs. Porter, a senior social work major from Kittanning (Armstrong HS), and Lilla, a graduate student majoring in social work from New Castle (Central Mountain HS), are working with inmates from Crawford County Correctional Facility in Saegertown to perform group therapy sessions.

Many graduates of the park and resource management program at Slippery Rock University fulfill their dream of working for the National Park Service, but one SRU student is already getting a taste of the experience. Beau Fillion, a senior from Palmyra, New York (Palmyra Macedon HS), was selected for an internship at one of the NPS's most recognizable locations, Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Fillion is one of only three college interns working from May to August as an interpretive ranger at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

A Slippery Rock University student recently joined leaders from across the country in Washington, D.C., to voice the importance of music education. Nate Presutti, a senior music education major from Clinton (West Allegheny HS), won an award presented by the National Association for Music Education before meeting with lawmakers that included U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. During the NAfME's Collegiate Leadership Advocacy Summit, Presutti won the Collegiate Professional Achievement Award. Presutti was the president of the American Choral Directors Association, SRU chapter, for two years and is now the student organization's adviser.

Carmen Hay is conducting hands-on research at Slippery Rock University to help purify water using innovative techniques. Hay, a senior biology major from Connellsville (Connellsville HS), is taking samples from Wolf Creek near Slippery Rock to investigate the use of microbes while addressing water pollution.

The Slippery Rock community is more vibrant because of a group of Slippery Rock University students who left their mark, thanks to a collaborative project with a local business. Six art students painted a colorful mural on the wall inside the Fuzzy Monkey Coffee Co. located at 354 South Main Street, just across the street from SRU's campus.

Slippery Rock University has announced its dean's list for the Spring 2025 semester. The dean's list consists of SRU undergraduate students who earned an adjusted semester grade-point average of 3.5 or higher, based on a schedule of at least 12 newly attempted and earned credits.

Internships and clinical experiences provide college students the opportunity to apply their education and prepare for their careers. They are especially beneficial when they learn from professionals who were once in their shoes. Noah Novak is a perfect example. As a graduate student in Slippery Rock University's Doctor of Physical Therapy program, Novak is completing his clinical rotations at Precision Physical Therapy and Performance, an outpatient clinic in Allison Park that is privately owned and operated by two graduates of SRU's DPT program.

More than 1,600 students from the Class of 2025 are eligible to be recognized for graduating, as Slippery Rock University will conduct its spring commencement ceremonies, May 9-10, at the Morrow Field House in the following four ceremonies: 6 p.m., May 9, Graduate Studies. 9 a.m., May 10, College of Business. Noon, May 10, College of Education, College of Liberal Arts and Rock Life. 3 p.m., May 10, College of Engineering and Science and College of Health Professions.

Before donning their caps and gowns at commencement, seniors from Slippery Rock University's Bachelor of Fine Arts program showed off their artwork that was part of their capstone projects. Students displayed their artwork in a recent exhibition at the Martha Gault Art Gallery on campus.

Twelve cadets from Slippery Rock University's U.S. Army ROTC program will be recognized for their commissioning as officers with the rank of second lieutenant. They will be officially commissioned and take their oaths at a private ceremony on campus, May 9, before a public oath reading at SRU's commencement ceremonies, May 10, when they graduate and receive their bachelor's degrees.

Dakharee Mann gained a behind the scenes look into one of golf's biggest tournaments at Oakmont Country Club. Mann, a Slippery Rock University sophomore sport management major from Harrisburg (Susquehanna Township HS), experienced first-hand the inner workings of the U.S. Open tournament through an internship with USGA Pathways. The 10-day internship, on location in Oakmont during the U.S. Open earlier this month, gave college students the opportunity to learn to every facet of the $84 billion golf industry. Mann was one of 24 interns selected from a pool of more than 750 applicants.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.