Dr. Robert Aebersold (1935-2019), president of SRU from 1984-1997, came to Slippery Rock as the assistant football coach and a professor in the Physical Education Department in 1968. Aebersold would become the third longest-serving president after Eisenberg and Maltby. He was instrumental in the development of the university’s dance program: the first in the Pennsylvania state system. He also helped to shepherd the physical therapy program. 

The student apartments and the Alumni House were built under Aebersold’s presidency, and Aebersold Recreation Center, built in 1998, is named in his honor.

Nora Ambrosio (b. 1962), a native of Long Island, New York, was a Professor of Dance at Slippery Rock University (SRU) from 1988 to 2023. Ambrosio held several leadership positions including chairperson of the Department of Dance, artistic director of SRU Dance Theatre, and production coordinator for all department performances.

Over her tenure, Ambrosio was instrumental in the development of SRU’s highly acclaimed Department of Dance. Under her leadership, the department achieved national accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Dance in 2000, and was reaccredited in 2006, 2011, and 2023. Ambrosio secured numerous grants that benefitted the department, its students, and the greater community. She choreographed over thirty dances for both student and professional dancers. She is the author of two books: The Teaching of Dance and the Excellent Instructor (2020, Kendall Hunt Publishing), and Learning about Dance (2023, Kendall Hunt Publishing), which has sold over 400,000 copies.