SLIPPERY ROCK - Newly named Slippery Rock University President Robert M. Smith outlined his three top goals to the SRU trustees on Friday.

Smith, who had been interim president for 17 months and prior to that as provost and vice president for academic affairs since joining the university in 1999, made these points:

"First, we must continue to raise the academic value of a Slippery Rock University degree," he said.

"We are attracting more talented students, and we should expect more from them. They come to us expecting to be challenged and to be prepared to compete against the very best."

"Second," he said, "we need to assert our presence as a premier, regional, public residential university. Success in the modern economy necessitates a tight focus on three dimensions: what a campus is passionate about; what it can be best at; and what best drives a sustained economic engine.

"We know best how to be a single campus where traditional students in the 18-22-age range come to live and learn …. we are at our best as a classical residential campus."

Thirdly, Smith said, "It is imperative that we intensify our efforts to generate alternative revenue sources to ensure our ability as a public institution to control our destiny."

He pointed out public universities and colleges nationally are struggling to cope with dramatic reductions in state funding, and increasing tuition to meet the shortfall.

"There has to be a better way, and we have to find it," Smith said.

In other actions:

Smith said enrollment would continue to grow with the fall semester to have 8,100 students, up from 7,830 last fall.

"Retention efforts are the primary source for exceeding our original projection," he said, adding transfer student enrollment is also higher than expected.

The trustees increased the University Union fee paid by students to $70 for the coming year, then reduced it to $50 per year starting in 2005, once the current $20 million bond indemnity has been fulfilled. The move brings SRU in compliance with the state system board of governor's policy requiring all student unions to be self-supporting in auxiliary enterprises.

Trustees approved Smith's recommendation to renovate the campus central boiler plant at an overall cost of $7 million.

The trustees welcomed Angele Waugaman, a senior accounting major from Kittanning, as the new student trustee. They also elected Suzanne Vessela as secretary, and re-elected Robert Marcus as chairman, and Dennis Murray as vice chairman.