BC3 president seeks same role at SRU
BUTLER TWP — Nick Neupauer hopes to move a mile down the road from his home in Slippery Rock to the residence of the Slippery Rock University president.
The president of Butler County Community College is one of the six finalists to replace retired SRU President Robert Smith.
“Well, it’s a great opportunity. Slippery Rock really is in a great place right now,” Neupauer said.
Despite the poor economic climate, SRU is excelling, and Neupauer said this is a great situation for a president.
He said his experience as a president at a public college will help if he is hired at SRU. He said he knows officials in Butler County and in Harrisburg.
“We’ve received budget cuts. They’ve received budget cuts,” Neupauer said.
While BC3 has faced budget cuts, it has been able to prosper. Neupauer credits faculty, staff, students and board members for helping make the college a success.
“The president’s position is just one piece of that puzzle,” he said.
Neupauer has been the president at BC3 since 2007. Before that, he was the vice president for academic affairs from 2004 to 2007 and the dean of humanities and social sciences from 1999 to 2004.
During his time as president, BC3 has seen a 14 percent increase in enrollment and has received recognition for sound fiscal management by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Despite seeking the SRU position, Neupauer said he is fully committed to BC3, and, if hired at SRU, he will stay committed to the college during the transition period.
Neupauer lives in the borough with his wife, Tammy, and two daughters, Paige, 16, and Meredith, 14.
He said the SRU presidency is more than just his position.
“It’s a family thing. We all are certainly up to the challenge,” he said.
Neupauer is past chair of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce and a member of the board of directors for the Community Development Corporation of Butler County and the Community Health Clinic of Butler County.
Currently, he is vice president of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges and is a member of the Butler Rotary Club.
Neupauer and his wife will spend today and Friday on SRU’s campus, taking tours and meeting with university people.
On Friday, he will participate in a public forum from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. in the Russell Wright Alumni House.
Three other presidential candidates already have visited campus, and two more will visit soon.
The six finalists will be narrowed to three by the SRU search committee, which is made up of 15 people in the SRU community. Those three will be interviewed by the State System of Higher Education board of governors, who make the final decision.
