NEWS FROM A mounting reputation for honors studies GROWING HONORS PROGRAM GETS BIOLOGIST AS NEW DIRECTOR SRU’s Honors Program has grown sevenfold in four years. It now offers optional honors housing, 30 scholarships, independent study options that one student used to write a children’s book, job networking, as well as travel opportunities to Italy, England, Costa Rica and Ireland. And a new director to keep the momentum going, Associate Professor of Biology Steven Strain. He holds a doctorate in microbiology from Oregon State University. The Honors Program has grown from 34 to 318 students. A distinctive component is the honors contract. Participants take a nonhonors course in their major and contract with a professor to do a project related to course content but which “moves the student substantially beyond the parameters of the course,” Strain said. SRU HOSTS STATEWIDE HONORS CONFERENCE ON COSTA RICA Talented and ambitious honors students from each of the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities met this spring at The Rock to study Costa Rica in preparation for their 11-day trip there with the state system’s 2004 Summer Honors Program. Students studied Costa Rican history, culture, eco-tourism and healthcare. After a two-week residency at SRU, they traveled to Costa Rica. The program builds lifelong learners who bridge the gap between classroom education and experience. PASSHE universities sent two students each, who received up to six credits.
A McKeever Environmental Learning Center camp counselor leads an orientation session for elementary school pupils. McKeever, administered by SRU,has been teaching children environmental responsibility for 30 years. “Earthkeepers” is its signature program.
Thirty years of teaching children environmental stewardship marked With a new retreat center for adults completed and more children attending earth-centered programs, McKeever Environmental Learning Center celebrated its 30th anniversary in June with a series of wildlife programs, concerts and an evening campfire. SRU administers McKeever. Seventy-five miles north of Pittsburgh, McKeever’s 205 acres provide an educational setting for experiencing and exploring connections with the natural world. Every year, close to 4,000 children from across Pennsylvania attend outdoor programs there. “It’s a real magical place,” says Director Fran Bires. “It’s the programs. It’s what happens to people when they’re here. It’s the magic of our forest. It’s the magic of the activities that folks are involved with here. It’s the people.”
Hip-hop week spotlights music, poetry, band Ludacris fills house
SRU students Julie Hepner (left) of Bellevue and Alexa Contes of Beaver Falls participated in the state system's Summer Honors Program in Costa Rica. Both are straight A students.
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The Rock Fall 2004
The popular hip-hop band Ludacris headlined “Hip-Hop Week” at Slippery Rock University this spring.
Ludacris sold out, drawing 2,500. The week opened with a kickoff party featuring GQ of WAMO 106.7 FM Morning Show at the SRU Ski Lodge. Other events included a “Def Poetry Jam,” a hip-hop fashion show and a free “Yo”- style open mic event.
TIRELESS ADVOCATE FOR OLDER ADULTS HEADS GERONTOLOGY PROGRAM Allied Health Professor Dr. Adelle Williams, a tireless advocate for older adults who has worked in private practice and academia for more than 20 years, has been named coordinator of the Gerontology Program at Slippery Rock University. Williams and SRU’s program were profiled in Hospital News. Williams’ goals include establishing an advisory board, developing a lecture series, pursuing external funding and lining up additional internship opportunities. She also wants to enhance student recruitment and reevaluate program structure and course offerings. Said Williams, “Issues that continue to pose challenges to our older adult population include the rising costs of prescription drugs, Medicare, Social Security, cost control, quality of care, ethical issues, residential services and nursing home availability.”