Slippery Rock University students, faculty, administrators, and alumni live in a world without boundaries.  The activities of students, faculty, administrators, and alumni occur in a mixture of local, regional, national, and international arenas.  Cognizance of this at the university has long been the case as indicated in the university mission statement.  That recognition was reaffirmed recently in the vision of the university as a community of lifelong learners who are connecting with the world.  Several critical goal areas of the Liberal Studies program endorse the concept of the world as a community.  Specific academic programs across the university curriculum from teacher education to the humanities and fine arts to the natural sciences to and social and behavioral sciences to the health services to business administration afford students, faculty members, and others numerous opportunities to explore a world without boundaries.  The academic yet pragmatic roles of Community Service and Learning and International Education in translating the World as Community into real life experiences warrant their designation in combination with the programs that support their operation as Areas of Distinction.

International education has long been a premier area of activity of Slippery Rock University students and faculty members.  The significance of international education manifests itself in the effort expended for and by the 41,000 living graduates who work in a multitude of professions throughout the world.  This global contribution increases annually when over 350 Slippery Rock University students participate in study abroad opportunities and several faculty members participate in faculty exchange programs.  The significance of international education is further magnified by the annual enrollment of approximately 225 students from more than 50 nations in Slippery Rock University academic programs.       

Several academic majors actively contribute to the viability of international education at the university.  For example, the major in international business combines the study of a foreign language and culture with business practices and procedures.  The university offers, in addition to Asian languages, Spanish, French, German, Russian, and Italian.  It should be noted that the Modern Languages and Cultures department will be an integral unit in Carruth/Rizza Hall, a $2.5 million gift for renovation.  Accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, the international business degree program prepares students for jobs in the private and public sector domestically and prepares candidates for employment in organizations with foreign operations or connections.  Complementary is the university’s United Kingdom internship program.  Students are regularly placed with firms such as Deloitte and Touche (London), AMP of Great Britain (London), and Rolls Royce (Derby).  One student has been placed in the Paris office of Deloitte and Touche while another student has been offered permanent employment with Rolls Royce. 

The university also offers a minor in East Asian Studies with the Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages available for study.  This program provides a valuable focus for majors in business, government, social services, and health- and technology-related fields, and offers excellent opportunities for external support.  The Asian and Hispanic workforces, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, are projected to increase faster than other groups, 40% and 37%, respectively, with East Asia and Latin America representing a large, potential market. 

Slippery Rock University presents not only the perspective of western heritage to students but also presents the heritage of other countries.  International experiences may include art studies exchanges with academies in Poland and Slovakia, comparative politics in London, communication in Germany, history in Panama, cultural awareness in Trinidad, international business in Prague, or honors programs in Mexico.  Recently the university entered into an exchange agreement with the University of Costa Rica and a similar program is being pursued with Victoria University, Australia.  Preliminary to it, the Sydney (Australia) Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games developed a collaborative program with the university to provide students for leadership positions to fill Venue Command, Control and Communication Manager positions for sport management.  The Venue Communications Center (VCC) was the communication nerve center of the venue in which students held responsible positions as supervisors in communication, command and control at Sydney and again for the Salt Lake City Olympic games.  These opportunities attest to the distinctiveness of international education at Slippery Rock University. 

The stature of Community Service and Learning at the university, in the State System of Higher Education, nationally, and internationally continues to develop and grow even though its history is brief.  Formally organized in the early 1990s, the primary focus of Community Service Learning is to give students particularly but other members of the university community also opportunities to serve the extended community in a needed and productive capacity and, while so doing, to develop socially and intellectually. 

Testaments from student participants in community service learning opportunities suggest that the experience enhances self-discovery and heightens appreciation for their academic discipline.  Faculty members become more willing to attempt new venues and to incorporate a service-learning component in their courses.  Positive relationships have emerged from the interactions between student and faculty participants in service learning projects and the communities—local, regional, national, and international—in which the projects have occurred.  In addition, employers have been able to view students’ skills as they are applied to community problems.  The statewide and national presence of Slippery Rock University as a leader in service learning makes it a preferred choice for civic-minded students.  In 1999, the $50,000 McDonald’s Youth Social Entrepreneur Scholarship winner chose to attend the university because of its reputation in community service and learning.  Finally, the community service and learning operation will continue to be attractive to external constituents and funding sources.  These features certainly warrant an Area of Distinction designation.