Eliott Baker was Slippery Rock University’s Director of Academic Records. Baker also served as the Registrar and as the Director of Admissions. Eliott remembers his first year here when Slippery Rock played at Michigan Stadium.

Baker participated as a guest judge for Homecoming king and queen as well as emceeing the Miss Slippery Rock pageant for several years. After twenty-eight years at SRU, he believes that the employees and students are its stewards and that the university’s legacy is the impact it has on the people who study and work here.

William “Bill” Behre was Slippery Rock University’s 17th president, having taken office in July of 2018. A native of New York, Behre was the former provost at Georgian Court University in New Jersey.

During his tenure, Behre had an ambitious agenda for the direction of Slippery Rock University (SRU). These goals included building a more inclusive campus environment, increasing financial aid, focusing on affordability, and building SRU’s community-engaged service-learning capabilities. However, Behre’s intentions for the University were thwarted by an unprecedented worldwide pandemic.

Having only served as president for 3 full semesters, Behre was instrumental in navigating students, faculty, and Slippery Rock University’s administration through a worldwide pandemic beginning in 2020. The onslaught of COVID-19 brought many challenges for Behre’s presidency including a shift from all in-person classes to remote instruction between March 2020 and the fall semester of 2021. Despite this, Behre and his administration accomplished many achievements throughout his tenure at SRU. Behre retired as president of Slippery Rock University in 2023.

Dr. Bob Berner (born 1939), came to work in Slippery Rock’s Department of Special Education in 1971 and taught for thirty-three years. He worked under six college presidents and witnessed tremendous building growth on campus. Berner talks about the Over the Hill Basketball group he participated in for many years, Bob Macoskey’s Alternative Futures course, and the Human Inquiry Program at SRU.

He recalls notable campus visitors such as Dustin Hoffman, George Carlin, and Harry Belefonte. Berner was an engaging instructor and an active presenter and workshop facilitator.

Brandon Berns (b. 1985) currently serves as the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations within the Advancement Office at Slippery Rock University. Brandon is an SRU alumnus (class of 2007), attending the university during an era of major change and renovation. He is responsible for seeking funding for the university as well as engaging with alumni for donations and maintaining scholarship funds. He also established the Brandon Berns Scholarship for the student who portrays Rocky, the university mascot.

As a student, Brandon was the first person to portray both Rocky the Lion (Rocky II) and Rocky III, Pride of The Rock. He was known for bringing life to the characters and creating a distinct personality that made the mascots icons both on campus and in Division II sports.

Francis “Fran” Bires (born 1957) started his career in 1981 as an intern at the McKeever Environmental Learning Center. He was subsequently hired there as an environmental educator in 1983. In 1995, Bires became McKeever’s director, ushering in an era focused on program enhancement and environmental awareness.

The McKeever Center offered dynamic programs for school-aged students, and quickly became one of the best spaces in western Pennsylvania for student teaching opportunities in environmental education. Bires went on to hold a dual position at SRU, simultaneously directing the McKeever Center as well as the Macoskey Center for Sustainability Systems Education and Research from 2012 until his retirement in 2016.

Dr. Paul Black (1941-2023), professor emeritus, has been both a student and a faculty member at Slippery Rock University. Black left Slippery Rock in 1963, graduating with a degree in Education. He returned in 1972 as a faculty member in the department of secondary education, retiring in 2003.

While teaching, Black was involved in building the graduate degree program and served on many committees from Academic Affairs to Public Relations. While Black has received countless awards for his teaching and work in education, his most cherished award is Advisor of the Year. Black says the best thing about Slippery Rock is “the students that come here and the camaraderie and the family atmosphere that we create here.”

Dr. Patrick Burkhart has been teaching at Slippery Rock University since 1998. A faculty member in the Department of Geology, Geography and the Environment, Burkhart has taken student researchers to Newfoundland, Alaska, and the Badlands of South Dakota. His interest in Charles Darwin led him to Argentina and Chile.

Burkhart created the SRU Symposium for Student Research and Scholarship and its publication The Journal of Scholarly Endeavor. He is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys kayaking, rock climbing, and skiing.