Harrisburg – The Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) today conferred the status of President Emeritus upon Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania President Dr. Robert M. Smith, who will retire next month. Dr. Smith was named president of Slippery Rock University in May 2004. He came to SRU in August 1999 as provost and vice president for academic affairs, and also served as the university’s interim president for nearly 18 months beginning in December 2002. During his tenure as president, Dr. Smith helped raise Slippery Rock’s academic profile and oversaw more than $200 million in new construction and renovation projects that changed the face of the university and significantly improved the living and learning environment for students. Through his volunteer service to corporate and non-profit boards, he both enhanced the university’s reputation and expanded its role as an economic, educational and cultural leader in the region. Working at the System level, Dr. Smith was instrumental in the development of new performance funding standards for PASSHE, which already have been recognized nationally. Dr. Smith was congratulated by the Board for his outstanding leadership and recognized for his “continuous service as a colleague and trusted adviser to chancellors, presidents and senior leadership throughout the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.” To be eligible for emeritus status, an individual must have spent at least five continuous years in his or her leadership position and have shown “an exemplary record of service through the demonstrated commitments of time, talent and resources” to PASSHE. Dr. Smith is the sixth president to be granted emeritus status in PASSHE’s nearly 30-year history. The others are Dr. Tony Ceddia, former president of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Joseph Caputo, former president of Millersville University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Diane Reinhard, former president of Clarion University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Madeleine Wing Adler, former president of West Chester University of Pennsylvania; and Dr. Joseph P. Grunenwald, former president of Clarion University of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with nearly 120,000 students. The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. About 500,000 PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania. The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. PASSHE also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon passhe.edu/inside/ne/press/Lists/Press%20Releases/pressup.aspx?ID=510
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 21:00:33 +0000
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