Hello, SRU!

Jenna Kriley, a junior SRU biology major, explains how a bunch of mammoth fossils wound up in a sinkhole in South Dakota, and how an aspiring med school student such as herself got to dig them up with other paleontologists.

For a special Halloween episode, our first-ever guest Bob Watson returns to the show to share an SRU ghost story about how the late Emma Guffey Miller, a trustee from 1933-68 and influential campus and national political figure, might still be lingering in North Hall.

SRU’s new athletic director Roberta Page, ’88, talks about coming back to her alma mater and what fans can expect from The Rock sports teams this year.

PET PROJECT

Johnny Phommachanh, a 2021 SRU grad, shares how leaving a googly-eyed rock on campus last spring attracted a lot of eyeballs on social media and TV, leading to a local resurgence of the pet rock craze.

Pancho Timmons, a 2000 SRU graduate, shares how his life was changed by a brief encounter while he was at The Rock, and now he’s a social entrepreneur, business owner and co-authored of the book “Quick and Easy World Change: Fixing Our Messed Up World One Small Act at a Time."

SRU President Bill Behre makes his first appearance on the podcast to share his thoughts on the new academic year, the return of a fully in-person campus, vaccinations and lessons learned since the start of the pandemic.

Lauren Moran, SRU director of student engagement and leadership, talks about what her office is doing to support first- and second-year students who are arriving on campus. Because of last year’s pandemic limitations, there will be twice as many students who are new to campus this year.

Justin Brown, ’11, developed a diversity training program when he was a Slippery Rock University student. He now leads a nationally recognized diversity awareness program and is the author of “Ugh!?! Not Another Diversity Book.” Hear his story, why diversity is important and how he “rocked” a Super Bowl TV ad.

SRU alumnus Ryan Muldowney, ’05, tells the story about being a contestant on “Wheel of Fortune” and almost winning $1 million. He settled for a trip to Costa Rica and an appearance on the “Hello, SRU” podcast.

Justin Matteo, a cadet in SRU’s Army ROTC program, shares his experience from the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at West Point. Matteo was on a team from SRU that was pitted against the top ROTC units in the nation on a rigorous 36-hour course to “test their warrior spirit, team cohesion and dedication to mission accomplishment.”