Collectively, the SRU fine and performing art programs in music, dance, art, and theatre represent a bold, assertive, presence on the national and international scene.  Each program is organized as a separate department with strong professional performance programs structured on a solid foundation within the liberal arts traditions.  All of the programs are now organized in the same college with close central administration.  With acclaimed faculty, award winning presentations, and sought-after productions, this is an important area of distinction for Slippery Rock University.

The Music Department is the largest component of this area of distinction.  The department offers  the B.S. in music, B.S. in music education, and a distinctive B.S. in music therapy.  The number of majors has more than doubled in the past ten years.  Enrollment has been strong and graduates have been placed successfully in music-related fields and graduate programs.  Enrollment is on the verge of being capped because of the demand for entry to the department’s programs.  The degree programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.

Recently, the university transformed the Swope Recital Hall into a unique state-of-the-art, multi-media center for music education. New equipment includes video capabilities, a new stereo system, Internet access, and a music computer lab. In last year’s accreditation review, the visiting team highlighted that, “the new computer lab is an absolute jewel, complete with 25 new iMacs and Korg keyboards.”

Music faculty are strong teachers and accomplished performers who are well known throughout the region.  Many of the faculty are regular performers with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Civic Light Opera Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Broadway Series Orchestra.  Faculty have performed for the White House, in Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, on NPR, and invited soloists for numerous music education professional conferences.  With a strong commitment to excellent performance, student and faculty ensembles and soloists have produced several CDs.  Professor Steve Hawk’s CD was  voted by Cadence Magazine in New York at the best big band album of the year.  The most recent student CD is from the SRU Jazz Ensemble based on work prepared for their tour to New York City.  The ensemble makes an annual trip throughout the northeastern United States and has performed in Washington, D.C., New York City, Canada and the former Soviet Union.  At the 41^st Annual Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival, the jazz ensemble captured nine “Outstanding Soloist Awards.”  The choral group has made recent tours across Pennsylvania to Boston, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, NC, Toronto, and New York City.  Additionally, the faculty are strong scholars, textbook authors, and creative developers of innovative music education techniques used throughout the country.

The dance program was first developed as a B.A. degree in 1988.  The Department of Dance was created in 1989.  The program was accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance in 2000 as the only accredited program in the State System.  The dance department  is composed of five full time faculty and one full time staff musician/composer.  Additional guest artists round out a unique diversity of professionals, each with an extensive portfolio of accomplishments.  Faculty have held leadership roles in state and national professional associations.  The list of national and regional public performances by the faculty is extensive and includes some of the renowned dance festivals in the nation.  Faculty have also produced acclaimed textbooks, CDs, and developed innovative instructional materials used in dance programs nationwide.  In addition, the campus has been a site for numerous dance events, including the American College Dance Festival hosted in 1999. 

Enrollment of majors in dance has more than doubled since 1995 to a fall, 2000, total of 52.  Eight graduates now have their own dance studios.  Several are artistic directors for dance companies.  Others are pursuing graduate degrees at the University of Illinois, University of North Carolina, and Arizona State University. Dance has its own scholarship fund and has been successful in raising scholarships for students.  Four dance majors spent the summer of 1999 as scholarship winners at the American College Dance Festival held at Duke University.  In addition, the dance program is popular with a wide-range of students. Over 500 students enrolled in dance courses in fall, 2000. 

The Art Department offers a variety of degree programs including a B.F.A., B.A., and an art education certification program.  Within the past seven years all of the studios have been renovated and upgraded including a new state-of-the-art computer lab, a computer loom in fibers, new kilns in ceramics, photoengraving equipment in printmaking and a casting foundry and forge in sculpture. Recently, the department has added a digital media curriculum.  The number of majors has increased by 40% since 1995.  More than 800 students were enrolled in arts courses in the fall, 2000, term.  Historically, art students are employed in art related fields or move on to graduate school (33% attend graduate school).  The department has several endowed scholarships to award to outstanding students.

The Art Department is an extremely active, progressive, and student-oriented department.  The collective achievements of the department are a reflection of this.  These include numerous national and international exhibitions, several of which have resulted in awards for faculty.  Recent exhibitions have occurred in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Dortmund, Germany; Cleveland Museum of Art; Pittsburgh Center for the Arts; Rhode Island School of Design; Artists Television Access Gallery, San Francisco; New Jersey Center for Visual Arts; and the Silvermine Galleries, New Canaan, Connecticut.  The university maintains its own gallery featuring works from students and faculty as well as a program of showings from around the world.  The international linkages are a strong dimension of the art program.  The department maintains formal student and faculty exchanges with several Eastern European art institutes involving over one hundred student exchanges in the past ten years. 

The Art Department is engaged in a range of unique activities devoted to bringing art and culture to students.  The Summer Academy of the Creative and Performing Arts that includes music, dance, and theatre is an important attraction for minority students in Western Pennsylvania, especially the Pittsburgh high schools.  In 1998, this program was selected by the Pennsylvania Alliance for Art Education as a “Best Practice” award.  The program has also been named a model program by the Pennsylvania Governor’s School of Excellence.  Faculty are active in several community service projects and significantly involved with the university’s service learning programs.

Theatre offers an important complement to SRU’s fine and performing arts portfolio.  Although small, the Theatre Department is renowned for innovative, bold, and creative stage productions involving theatre and non-theatre majors.  The university is committed to high quality stage productions.  Recently, the university spent $300,000 in upgrades to the lighting and sound systems including digital sound and a new counterweight rigging system for scenery and curtains.  Touring companies are attracted to the university to make use of the new system, greatly expanding the opportunities for students and the public to see a variety of productions.  For fall, 2001, the department hired a faculty member at a senior rank to enhance the best teaching experience possible for our students.

Collectively, Slippery Rock University is an important contributor to the fine and performing arts in Western Pennsylvania and provides a distinctive role to the rich cultural character of the region.  The fine and performing arts comprise a vital area of distinction for the university.