Slippery Rock University is beginning talks to revamp its Rock Life program, which educates students with disabilities and helps them gain independence by learning life skills and general knowledge.

SRU president Bill Behre said the Rock Life program, as it stands now, is not operating as well as it could be, both financially and in terms of the services being provided.

Behre said the program could be reworked to better support its students through the hiring of more staff and the acquisition of more funding.

He said talks have begun with consultants on how SRU could revamp the program, possibly quickly enough to only halt the program for one academic year.

“I'd like for them to talk to our current staff to get a sense of what we currently do and what our strengths and weaknesses are, and report to us their recommendations and where we can get,” Behre said. “One aspect is it's designed as a two-year program, I'd like to see us bring it to a four-year program.”

According to Jessica Hall-Wirth, Rock Life's program director, there are 18 students currently enrolled in Rock Life. Those students will continue through the program to completion, but no students will be accepted into Rock Life until the revamp is complete. Behre called this a “teach-out,” which will clear the program while it is being revamped.

Behre said hiring more staff members is one way of improving the program. It currently has one full-time director, Hall-Wirth; one faculty member who dedicates about 25% of the work week to Rock Life duties; and there are 29 paid student coaches and mentors who work with Rock Life students, Hall-Wirth said.

“That one full-time employee needs to manage all of the external relations, all of those coaches and deal with any of the issues,” Behre said. “It's a lot to ask one person. We're looking at having two to three full-timers.”

Behre also said students pay tuition as well as a surcharge to enroll in Rock Life. The program is not quite breaking even financially, which Behre said could be fixed by a revamp. He said he would like to find a financial model not dependent on donors.

According to Rock Life's webpage, a semester's total fees for an in-state Rock Life commuter is estimated at $5,935 for nine credits, and $12,161 for an in-state on-campus resident.

According to Behre, the age range of the students in Rock Life could be as diverse as the age range of students in undergraduate or graduate programs. So students who are unable to enroll in the off year may be able to enroll once the program comes back if they want to.

On Hall-Wirth's wish list for the future of the program is more staff, but she also wants to further promote Rock Life to bring more students in for it.

“I definitely think more staff is obviously better,” she said. “My biggest hope is everyone knows that the program is there.”

Behre said he was part of a team that started a similar program at the College of New Jersey several years ago.

He said he wants to continue to promote diversity and inclusion at SRU because not many higher education institutions in the region offer a program of this nature.

“Some people with intellectual disabilities can't get a college diploma,” Behre said. “SRU does a great job of including our students with disabilities in the social aspect of the university; where I'd like to see us strengthen efforts is in the academics.”

Hall-Wirth also said she will continue as a university employee while the program is on hold, and will be involved with the consultation process.

She said she has heard complaints from students who are concerned that the program will disappear instead of being revamped. However, Hall-Wirth said she is confident that the university will be able to rework it to better serve students.

The outcry about the program's pausing demonstrates how many people care about Rock Life, and Hall-Wirth said she hopes to see that support continue through the revamp.

“If anything, this showed that there are so many people who support the program and advocate for the program,” Hall-Wirth said. “The program is growing and changing, but I really want to create an inclusive campus.”