G. Warren Smith
Following the Presidency of Robert Aebersold, came the legacy of G. Warren Smith who served as President of Slippery Rock University from 1997 to 2002. He earned his Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Grinnell College and then received his Ph.D. of Philosophy from Cornell University. Known as a highly regarded chemist, he was a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Additionally, he carried a passion for the violin. Smith ended up coming to the university after spending nine years as the President of Southeastern Louisiana University. Inducted on December 19th, 1998, in the Morrow Fieldhouse, he was known for making several positive advancements for the university. This included notable initiatives such as Jack Critchfield Park and FutureWatch.
Jack Critchfield Park
In November of 2000, Slippery Rock University Alumni, and namesake, Dr. Jack Critchfield and his wife made a generous donation of $500,000. This was in order for the University to build a new and improved baseball stadium. The grand opening ceremonies were held April 20, 2002, prior to The Rock’s doubleheader vs. Edinboro University. Jack Critchfield Park is still used today and has housed many different invigorating baseball games.
Statements from when Jack Critchfield Park was opening:
“When you have a nationally recognized baseball program, and yet you have to play all of your games during the daytime when everyone’s working, you can never build up the constituency of people to follow the team. …I had two criteria for this project: It must be built in a very visible place, so that people knew we had a baseball team, and it had to have lights so that we could start to play evening games.”
G. Warren Smith
“The stadium has rejuvenated me. I’ve been here for 17 years, but it feels like my first season again. It’s so exciting.”
Jeff Messer, Slippery Rock University Baseball Head Coach
FutureWatch
In 1998, Smith introduced the ambitious “FutureWatch” that was to help the university in the years to come. Some primary features of this process were to maximize the opportunities for campus and community stakeholders to be able to express ideas such as their opinions, expectations, and values related to higher education, relating to Slippery Rock University in particular.
“a PROCESS for identifying issues, collecting and reviewing information, and making recommendations concerning possible future directions for Slippery Rock University.”
Focused Topics within FutureWatch:
- Alumni Relations, Needs, and Services
- Community Relations, Partnerships, and Service
- Costs and Affordability
- Image and Marketing
- Structures and Processes that Facilitate Excellence
- Undergraduate Teaching and Learning
APSCUF Strikes
In the latter end of 1999, there was a major strike on campus due to the fact that there was a conflict during the APSCUF-SSHE Negotiations. The main issue was over the step pay increments. At the time, the steps were seven at 5%, but the SSHE wanted to change it to fourteen steps at 2.5% each. With this, the Board of Governor’s office would not continue with negotiations until they accepted this increase, but of course APSCUF declined. So, this instigated a strike which led to the participation of both students and faculty. With roughly around 300 individuals marching, they went from the University Union Building to Old Main in order to take it to President G. Warren Smiths Office.
