SRU trustees approve new degree program; vote to extend presidential search

Slippery Rock University Interim President Philip Way addresses the trustees during the Oct. 6 quarterly business meeting.

Oct. 6, 2017

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Slippery Rock University's council of trustees today voted to extend the University's presidential search and to not advance the names of two candidates to Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education board of governors for consideration as SRU's 17th president.

Following a nearly year-long search process, the COT deadlocked 5-5 on a motion to advance the names of Bruce Murphy, president of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana and Amir Mohammadi, vice president for finance, administration and advancement services at SRU, to Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education board of governors. The trustees will now await directions from PASSHE as to the next steps.

In other action, the COT voted to advance a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting program to Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education board of governors for approval.

The program will be presented for action at the BOG's Oct. 18-19 meetings.

The proposed BFA in acting degree will require 120 credits to complete.

According to organizers, moving the acting program from a BA to a BFA will provide "a greater opportunity to better prepare acting students to be as competitive as possible and will attract additional students because of the focused career training available at SRU."

The University's Theatre Department, which is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre, currently offers a BA in theatre with three areas of concentration: acting; design and technology; and arts administration.

The proposed program would be unique in that it would be the only NAST-accredited, BFA in Acting professional training program in the state system.

Read more about the proposed BFA program by clicking here.

In other action, the trustees approved the minutes from the Sept. 11 special and June 8-9 quarterly meetings; received reports from the Academic and Student Affairs, Finance, University Advancement and Governance committees; reviewed University financial statements, including the quarterly financial report; and

approved compliance contracts, fixed assets, services and supply purchase orders.

The council's next meeting will be Dec. 7-8, 2017.

MEDIA CONTACT: Robb King | 724.738.2199 | robb.king@sru.edu