Dr. Anthony Pagano (1922-2011), professor emeritus and World War II veteran, served in the Mathematics Department, beginning in 1959. He was the president of Faculty Counsel and served on the grievance committee for APSCUF. Pagano started Slippery Rock University’s Math Club in the 1960s, while also chairing the Mathematics Department. He received top honors from the School of Natural Science and Mathematics during his time here.

Pagano remembers faculty picnics, May Day celebrations, the bowling alleys, and The Hut. The Anthony V. Pagano Scholarship in Mathematics is an annual award endowed by Pagano.

John Papa, a native of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, first attended Slippery Rock State College in 1975. As a student, Papa began his athletic career with vigor and eventually earned All-American honors with a sixth-place finish in the decathlon at the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division III National Championships. After graduating with a degree in Elementary Education in 1979, Papa began his teaching career in Virginia. In 1984 he returned to Slippery Rock University (SRU) as a graduate assistant with the track and field program.

Papa remained at SRU, eventually earning his master’s degree in Athletic Administration, and becoming an assistant coach. Papa accepted the position of head coach of the cross country and track and field programs in 1987. His accomplishments at Slippery Rock University have been vast with 25 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference team titles and 127 student-athletes named as Division II All-Americans under his leadership. Papa retired from Slippery Rock University after the conclusion of the 2022 season.

Ursula Payne (1969-) was hired in 1996 at Slippery Rock University as a professor in the Department of Dance. Payne assumed the role of University Dance Theater director, introducing students to new experiences such as the American College Dance Festival. She served as chair of the Department from 2011 to 2020 and was instrumental in the Dance program’s development, including initiating changes in curriculum such as the inception of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.

Over her tenure at SRU, Payne has served as Director of the Frederick Douglass Institute and was appointed by President Bill Behre as the Diversity Liaison Officer to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. She achieved remarkable success in creative endeavors including choreography and movement direction for the 2021 film Obi Mbu (The Primordial House). In 2022, Payne was appointed Interim Associate Provost for Academic Finance, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, ultimately filling that role at SRU in a permanent capacity.

Kurt Pitluga (born 1959) is a professor in the Art Department at Slippery Rock University (SRU). Since arriving at SRU in 1996, Pitluga has taught Art History, actively engaging students both in and out of the classroom. He has organized numerous educational trips for students—both locally and abroad—over his tenure and helped to reform the Martha Gault Arts Society. Notably, Pitluga’s knowledge of architectural history played a crucial role in the development of the publication, Wood, Stone, Brick and Steel: An Architectural History of Slippery Rock University.  

Before arriving at SRU, Pitluga received his B.A. in Art History from Edinboro State College, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Art History from Pennsylvania State University. His interest in college architecture informs his work and is illustrated in his dissertation titled The Collegiate Architecture of Charles Z. Klauder. Long a SECAC (Southeastern College Art Conference) board member, Pitluga has remained active in the art community throughout his career.

Dr. Walter V. Powell (1929-2019), served as political science and pre-law professor at Slippery Rock University, beginning in 1965. He earned his J.D. and Ph.D. after serving in the Air Force during World War II. Powell served as chair of both the Political Science and Pre-Law Departments, contributing to an annual scholarship for students in Pre-Law.

After retiring in 2009, Powell pursued his passion for military aircraft, first restoring old aircraft and then establishing the Western Pennsylvania Warbird Military Museum. Powell recounts stories about teaching in Old Main, buckets in the classrooms to catch the rain, and teach-ins.