SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock University Trustee meeting was filled with emotions and goodbyes Friday afternoon.

Most of the trustees comments were directed toward Bob Watson, vice president of student life, who was sitting in on his last meeting Friday. He will retire March 31 after working for the university for 34 years.

In his honor, the trustees passed a resolution naming one of the new residence halls after him. The Robert J. Watson Hall will be opened this fall to students and is part of a $110-million housing project managed by the SRU Foundation. The hall will house honors and education students.

"That's probably your most modest legacy," said John Thornburgh, trustee. "You'll be leaving behind the countless people you've touched."

Trustee chairperson Suzanne Vessella got choked up when she said Watson's "dedication to the university is an inspiration to us all."

Watson helped in the planning of the new residence halls, stressing the "living learning," atmosphere that will exist in each hall. That allows students to live close to others with the same interests and allows space in the residence halls to pursue those interests.

Watson is not only an employee but an alumnus, attending SRU as the fourth generation of Watsons to do so. He also created a Watson family scholarship which will help students in the coming years.

Trustees also honored the service of Angele Waugaman, student trustee, who will be leaving the board after this month. Her term has ended and another student representative will replace her. Many of the trustees told Waugaman she represented her fellow students well during her time on the board.

Although he isn't leaving the board, Robert Marcus also was honored by the trustees by having a state-of-the-art conference room named after him. The room, Room 108 of Old Main, will be called the Robert Marcus Conference Room. The technology in the room received a boost with a $50,000 donation by Marcus recently.

In other business, trustees:

• Approved the 2007 capital budget request to the State System of Higher Education, which includes a $31.6 million request for a performing arts center and a $14.6 million request for improvements to Morrow Field House. Trustees had no comments about the requests.

• Approved a fee increase of 3.21 percent for dining halls and 5 percent for residence halls. That means the average meal plan will go up by $19 and the average dorm room fee will go up $67 per semester.

• Named the new science building on campus the Advanced Technology and Science Hall. The $14.5 million building should be opened to students this summer.

• Heard from president Bob Smith that he is still working to close a $1 million budget shortfall for next year. Smith and other cabinet members have been examining academic programs, travel costs and overtime costs, he said.

"We hope to close this gap by July 1," Smith said.