The Distinguished Alumni Award honors alumni who set themselves apart by their involvement in philanthropy, community service, service to the University, and professional and personal development. They are presented at the President's Gala, a black-tie dinner/dance held in Pittsburgh, PA. The event is staged as a way of further building Slippery Rock University's general scholarship fund.

Robert S. Taylor, Esq., chair and chief executive officer of Cameron Companies, LLC, community leader, Slippery Rock University Council of Trustees vice chair and 1978 graduate, was named to receive Slippery Rock University's Distinguished Alumni Award for 2006, and Mohammad Nasib, multi-award winning managing director of the Welfare Association for the Development of Afghanistan and 1992 SRU graduate, was named the recipient of the University's first Distinguished International Alumni Award.

"Slippery Rock University is proud of all of its graduates, and annually, we have presented our Distinguished Alumni Award to illustrious graduates. I am proud to say this year, we have added a Distinguished International Alumni Award, and in selecting Robert Taylor and Mohammad Nasib, we salute two graduates who have truly distinguished themselves and brought honor to their alma mater," said President Smith. "I am proud to be able to point to such prominent, capable leaders who have given so much of themselves and their talents to their communities, their countries and their university, and to say these are 'Slippery Rock University alumni.'"