Graduation Day at SRU
SLIPPERY ROCK — More than 550 graduating students and their families packed into Morrow Field House at Slippery Rock University Saturday for December commencement.
In the ceremony, SRU President Robert Smith thanked the graduates and said he will miss the students.
“Well, today, we say goodbye. Over the years, I have made many friends in this graduating class,” Smith said.
He said he wants the Class of 2010 to be active participants in the future.
“We did not prepare you to be the observers of change. Our hope is that you are the leaders of change,” Smith said. “You have great, great days ahead of you.”
Smith then introduced Joshua Young, chair of the SRU council of trustees, who gave the graduates one last assignment.
“Change the world,” Young said. “Many of you may think it's too big an assignment. It's not.”
The deans from the four schools in the university announced the names of the graduates. Three ROTC students were commissioned as second lieutenants by Lt. Col. Patrick Callahan, who is head of SRU's military science department.
After the main ceremony, Sam Zyroll, past president of the SRU alumni association, congratulated the graduates on their success.
“You're all outstanding people and Slippery Rock University is certainly a better place having you,” Zyroll said.
Among the 481 undergraduates and 81 masters candidates, all had different paths to make it to graduation.
Some graduates took longer than the average four years to graduate.
Sandra Ihlenfeld, an exercise science major from Connoquenessing Township, started working toward her degree seven years ago.
“I just wanted more education,” Ihlenfeld said.
The reason it took so long is that she had to schedule her classes around her full-time job as the physical director of the Butler County Family YMCA.Ihlenfeld, 52, will go on to the University of Pittsburgh in January for graduate school, while continuing her work at the Y.Others took less time.Ryan McCarty, a marketing major from Cranberry Township, graduated in 3Z\x years. He took several summer classes to accomplish his goal.McCarty will go on to a job as a team leader for development with Giant Eagle.Andy Weichey, an accounting major from West Sunbury, also graduated with a job at Alpern Rosenthal in Pittsburgh.“It's been a long journey. I'm ready to move on and start a new chapter in my life,” Weichey said.Josh Wills, a business management major from Penn Township, started his undergraduate degree at Butler County Community College. There, he became interested in its business programs and decided to continue at SRU.“Slippery Rock has an up and coming business program and I tried to do this,” Wills said.Currently, he is a manager for Lowe's, but said he may consider graduate school.On the other hand, Nyomin Buhler, a music education major from Slippery Rock, does not have a set plan. Soon, she will begin auditioning at different places, apply for graduate school or get a temporary job.“It's nice to be done. It's kind of bittersweet,” Buhler said.After the ceremony, graduates, faculty and family attended a reception in Weisenfluh Dining Hall.
