Slippery Rock University MSCHE 2011 Self-Study
Executive Summary
Nature and Scope of Slippery Rock University’s Self-Study The decade between the previous Middle States Commission Self-Study and the current one has been a time of considerable change for Slippery Rock University but also one of recognition of the institution’s traditional strengths. The self-study has sought to link the University’s notable past to a future both full of promise and fraught with uncertainty. Much of that uncertainty derives from the difficult financial challenges currently confronting public institutions of higher learning. Much of the promise builds upon the University’s caring nature and its position as a primarily residential university with well-established undergraduate and graduate programs, a highly qualified and committed faculty and staff, and a strategically developed physical plant. This self-study encapsulates Slippery Rock University’s efforts over the last decade to attract quality students and to strengthen the educational opportunities for such students through closely related processes of institutional and learning assessment, planning, and resource allocation. It describes and analyzes those processes and suggests how they may be strengthened; the same approach is taken in discussions of the University’s academic programs, student support, non-academic, and related educational programs, governance, and institutional policies. The self-study has sought never to lose sight of Slippery Rock University’s mission, its vision of a caring community of lifelong learners, and its historically refined self-identification as a premier residential university. The six chapters that follow attend closely to the standards of the MSCHE within the context of Slippery Rock University’s particular circumstances, mission and vision. Each chapter has a theme that fits snugly into the overall themes of the self-study itself: that is, the University’s current successes and struggles as a regional, accessible residential university. Each chapter analyzes the University’s efforts in regard to the standards and concludes with a set of observations and recommendations for strengthening and improving those efforts. Chapter One focuses on Slippery Rock University’s position as a public residential university and its ongoing aspirations to be premier in all its programs, faculty, staff, students, and facilities. This chapter explains the University within the framework of its history, traditions, and ambitions. Enrollment, academic quality, student life, and facilities are all considered in relation to a working definition of a premier public residential university. The recommendations address such concerns as maintaining access, creating a welcoming culture for all students, faculty, and staff, and accommodating the needs of every student who aspires to a Slippery Rock University degree. Chapter Two chronicles the processes the University has put in place to ensure that decision making is based on sound planning and clear, documented evidence. It examines the budgeting process and considers Slippery Rock University’s ongoing efforts to sustain itself in an era when state funding as a percentage of the University’s operating budget has continuously decreased. Under such circumstances, effective communication with various campus constituencies and with state-level 14 | P a g e