Dear New Student,

I want to congratulate you on deciding to attend Slippery Rock University! You will have many great experiences in the next few years. But I realize you have the summer to get through first, which will probably be extremely busy. I understand this, especially since I only went through this same situation a few years ago.

I am writing this letter to tell you about the Summer Reading Program. This is a program just for you! It is designed to give the new incoming class a common book experience because our campus is so rich with a variety of majors and different cultural backgrounds. We choose a book every year with a theme in mind; this year the theme is leadership. SRU tries to promote leadership in as many aspects as possible; we are going to be the leaders of tomorrow! 

For two years now, a student committee has chosen the book The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall. It is a short, easy- read novel about what a single person, Jason Stevens, would do to inherent one billion dollars. His Great Uncle made conditions in his will that Jason has to complete a different gift or lesson each month for a year before he would gain his portion of a billion dollar estate, aka “The Ultimate Gift”. The gifts, which range from love, money, family, a day, dreams, along with seven others, show us how we can be leaders, as well as give back to the community along the way. This book is interesting as we do not read exactly what transpires through each month, but rather Jason’s reaction getting his instructions and then his response after obtaining the gift. 

We encourage everyone to participate in the program to gain both knowledge and leadership credentials. So, please read the book sometime during the summer when there is nothing to do; a rainy day, a sleepless night, a car ride, these are just a few ideas of idle time. This book will be part of WOW Saturday, and may possibly be tied into your FYRST Seminar or College Writing I classes. If you have any questions or concerns, please look over the web site of The Summer Reading Program page or contact the program director, April Longwel, through email (April.Longwell@sru.edu) or calling (724.738.2732).

Have a Rock Solid Day!

Kendra Mundell

Senior, Secondary Education Social Studies