Slippery Rock University President Robert Smith explains the university's "ability to thrive in an environment of budget challenges" is the result of sharp focus on three over-arching goals:

• To continue to raise the academic value of the Slippery Rock University degree.

"We are attracting more talented students and expecting more from them," Smith says. "And, we have faculty who satisfy the education these students want and expect. We also are increasing the market awareness of the quality of our programs. Our goal is to provide the world with a graduate who has effective habits of the mind and can serve as an engaged citizen of his or her community."

• To assert our presence as a premier regional public residential university.

"Success in the modern economy necessitates a tight focus on three dimensions: What a campus is passionate about, what it can be best at, and what best drives a sustained economic engine. We know best how to be a single campus where traditional students in the 18 to 22 age range come to live and learn," Smith said.

• To develop resources in an entrepreneurial spirit that allows us to control our own destiny.

"To continue to be successful as a quality institution, we must create an independent source of funds that allows us flexibility in developing programs, support for our students in scholarships, and the ability to fund our own decisions. Our financial viability and ongoing health is dependent on our entrepreneurship and ingenuity," he said.