Slippery Rock University is adding a College of Health Professions to its offerings after its council of trustees unanimously approved its formation at a special meeting Friday.

A news release from the university said the new college will start no later than fall 2022, and will be largely comprised of existing academic departments currently housed within the College of Health, Engineering and Science.

The approval of the college currently does not correlate with the addition of any new academic programs, the release said.

The council announced the proposal of the college in February, and hired a founding dean, John Bonaguro, shortly thereafter. SRU administrators said establishing a new college will enhance the university's visibility among employers and prospective students, and create greater organizational efficiencies and more concentrated leadership.

The current College of Health, Engineering and Science consists of 158 full- and part-time faculty and programs that enroll 3,438 full- and part-time students. Each of those head counts exceeds a third of all faculty and students, respectively. Among the new programs added in the past five years are graduate programs in health informatics and public health, along with the physician assistant and occupational therapy programs, according to the news release.

“This move helps position the university to take advantage of our growing programs in the health professions,” said university president William Behre. “Establishing this college gives us even more of a foothold in the region and strengthens the recognition of SRU as a leader in preparing students for health care jobs that are in demand.”

The university had a work session July 9 to seek input from the campus community and ask questions of administrators and faculty related to the impact of establishing a new college. Matthew Lautman, chairman of the trustees, said the process took patience, but gathering stakeholder input helped to reach a conclusion that satisfied each trustee.

Bonaguro said in the news release that the new college will unify different academic programs in one place, making for a more visible but cost-effective program.

“This means more efficient administration where you would otherwise have many separate departments,” he said. “It also means better advising, articulation agreements, affiliations and other benefits that would be lost without a centralized focus of leadership.”

The specific academic departments that will make up the new college have yet to be determined.