As an institution of higher education, we support a steadfast dedication to expanding one’s knowledge, skills, and dispositions. We are committed to an environment that supports lifelong learning, goal setting, curiosity, emotional intelligence, and academic innovation. We will strive to provide room for the expansion of one’s intellectual horizons, thus positively shaping the future of the region. As the needs of our society change, higher education must redefine its role. The traditional template must be broadened. We are no longer in the business of higher education. Even the term “education” alone does not capture our current charge. We are now firmly in the human development business. Our role is to facilitate the growth and development of those with whom we engage, moving them from one point to the next, throughout their life, regardless of their age or circumstance. The future of work remains ill-defined and, as such, nimbleness and flexibility will be the characteristic that defines success.
Support the expectation of excellence and goal attainment.
Why is it important?
Universities have a responsibility to expect excellence and to support goal attainment. Slippery Rock University is charged with providing a high-quality education to our students at an affordable price. Student success depends on engaging in transformational curricular and co-curricular experiences that lead to the realization and attainment of personal and professional goals. As a public institution, we must maintain the trust of all constituents connected to the university and remain committed to building new relationships. Pursuing both personal and collective goals is a fundamental expression of knowledge acquisition, individual development, and societal growth.
What is our “how” and our aspirations?
We will commit to a comprehensive approach that involves all constituents in our campus community through varied strategies. First, through clear expectations that are measurable, we will continuously strive for excellence in our academic, research, outreach, and co-curricular programming. Additionally, the university supports excellence through professional development opportunities that enable faculty and staff to grow in their fields and engage in innovative research. University leadership will allocate resources in ways that support the university’s mission and goals, maintain open and transparent communication, and encourage flexibility as contemporary trends and needs demand response in an ever-evolving world.
Provide a premier student experience.
Why is it important?
Slippery Rock University strives to be a positive catalyst, influencing the region through relevant programs that offer increasingly diverse scholarly research, and creative endeavors. Our programs must be continuously informed through trends, collaboration, design thinking, and open sharing among internal and external partners. Through this collaboration, new learning opportunities and innovative solutions will emerge for the benefit of students, faculty, staff, community members, employers, alumni, and societies at-large. The challenges of today’s world demand analytical, emotional, creative, social, and practical intellect; learners at Slippery Rock University must be challenged to develop each of these through classroom work, as well as through an innovative array of integrated and other experiential learning opportunities. Students of all ages are empowered to thrive during their academic journey by engaging with campus resources designed to help them see the possibilities within themselves and in the world beyond our campus.
What is our “how” and our aspirations?
We will work to continually link our market alignment through strategically expanding partnership-driven learning opportunities, both in and beyond the classroom. We will engage with our alumni, departmental advisory boards, community and industry leaders, and professional organizations to identify and implement best practices. Each academic year, our learners will be presented with opportunities to develop across all areas of critical intellect, even as their learning remains founded in our university learning outcomes, and in recognized career-readiness competencies. Throughout a student’s learning journey, Slippery Rock University will work to expand engagement with critical support programs, not only measuring engagement success through headcounts, but also through the growth in students, their resilience, self-knowledge, attitudes, academic achievement, persistence, preparedness for joyful and gainful employment, and their propensity to contribute their talents, as alumni, to the ongoing learning legacy of SRU.
Improve retention and graduation rates.
Why is it important?
Our institution has historically performed comparatively well in student persistence and graduation rates. The demand for qualified, entry-level college degree earners remains strong, and it is growing in many sectors. To meet those demands of the region and the nation, our institution must work alongside students and their support systems to cultivate a culture of progress-toward-degree. Ongoing, transparent self-assessment processes are necessary to break down individual barriers to graduation, as are resources that promote satisfactory academic progress. It is necessary to have a culture that nurtures learning and supports students along their journey. Student resources must be accessible, future-focused, contextually appropriate, and rooted in social and learning science, as to assure that our student outcomes exceed excellence and focus on the exemplary.
What is our “how” and our aspirations?
We will work together, alongside students and their support systems, to achieve and sustain an average first-year, first-time-in-college student persistence rate of at least 85% by 2027. We will focus on achieving and maintaining a benchmark average four-year graduation rate of 60%, and an overall six-year graduation rate that exceeds 70%. Moreover, we will resource innovative ideas that serve to close the retention and graduation gaps that have historically existed between majority and underrepresented minority students. It is our aspiration that by 2027, the overall graduation rates of all historically underrepresented student groups will reach and remain within 5% of the average, institutional and overall graduation rate. To achieve this, we aspire to support our historically underrepresented students in a manner that closes the retention and persistence gaps by 1% annually until the gap is effectively eliminated, as recognized by our system and national metrics.
Expand learning experiences and opportunities to meet the needs of varied learners and groups.
Why is it important?
Expanding learning promotes a more comprehensive approach that encourages innovation and creativity, and enhances cultural competence, which are necessary fluencies in an interconnected society. By considering the many ways in which learning opportunities can expand, we exemplify the university’s commitment to lifelong learning, critical thinking, skill enhancement, diversity and inclusion, and the development of our communities through well-prepared graduates. A singular approach will not meet the varied needs of learners. Facilitating human development requires both an understanding of and a commitment to addressing the individual and collective needs of our current and future students.
What is our “how” and our aspirations?
We will develop approaches and programs that serve the needs of current and future learners. We recognize that expanding learning experiences beyond the traditional student model requires a strategic approach and a commitment to innovation and collaboration. By understanding the varied needs that exist among potential students, we can develop curriculum and programs to provide relevant learning experiences in flexible modalities. Resources for development, marketing, recruitment, mentorship, work-integrated experiences, and data-driven decision making that lead to continuous improvement will drive expansions that benefit all.
