SLIPPERY ROCK — Dr. Cheryl J. Norton is still getting settled into her new role as president of Slippery Rock University, but she already likes what she sees and can't wait for the fall semester.

"I think Slippery Rock is a well-kept secret," Norton said Tuesday afternoon in her office at Old Main.

June 4 was Norton's first day on the job as the university's 16th president, replacing Robert M. Smith, who retired in February after holding the post since May 2004. Dr. Charles Curry was acting president the past few months.

The Middleburg Heights, Ohio, native comes to Slippery Rock with about 36 years' experience working in higher education. One of her most recent positions was president of Southern Connecticut State University, where she worked from 2004 through May 31, 2011.

"My husband (Henry) said, 'You should really be a president,'" Norton said of her husband's urging. Her husband is from Connecticut, so the move from Colorado at that time was a good choice, she said.

She's also worked on the faculty and later as provost of the Metropolitan State College of Denver, the largest, undergraduate-only, publicly supported institution of higher learning in the country, she said.

"It's there I really got into education," she said of living in Denver for about 29 years and raising two sons.

The Nortons, who met as students at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, also have two grandchildren, two dogs and two cats.

The Nortons have lived and worked in other places, including Manhattan, Cleveland and Charlottesville, Va., and she kept hearing about Slippery Rock University while she was deciding last summer whether she wanted to stay retired.

"The more I heard about Slippery Rock, the more I learned," she said.

Former SRU president Dr. Robert Aebersold, who had been interim president of Central Connecticut State University and grew up in Granville, told her about the opening.

She continued hearing of SRU students' success, the school's community outreach and how the faculty and staff work toward developing great leaders who give back to society. "That was a compelling story for me," Norton said.

She's been pleased that the Slippery Rock area, not just the university, turned out to be exactly how it presented itself.

SRU is the kind of institution that helps students make a difference, locally and beyond, said Norton, who's been busy unpacking, walking her dogs around town and meeting as many students, staff and community members as possible.

Her summer plans include developing a new strategic plan for the university and promoting the school's high-quality education, despite budget constraints. "We've got a good heart in this institution," she said, adding it offers an attractive, diverse and culturally enriching experience.

She also looks forward to visiting the new student union, the Robert M. Smith Student Center, which is expected to have a "soft opening" within the next few weeks.

Norton wants everyone to know she has an open-door policy and hopes to continue to develop SRU's relationships outside the campus because there no boundaries. "We're not trying to keep anybody out," she said. "It's not my campus; it's our campus."

A lot has changed since she started her career in education in 1976, and while technology is helpful, it can also be harmful -- false information can be transmitted in an instant and people lose the ability to communicate effectively face to face, she said.

It's important to develop those skills, especially for young adults preparing to venture out into the real world, Norton said, adding students can expect her face to be a familiar one on campus.

Norton holds degrees from Denison; Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, where she earned a doctor of education in applied physiology; and Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. Her past employment includes the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C., where she was a senior fellow; the recreational therapy unit at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville; and the department of human performance, sport and leisure studies at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. Slippery Rock has about 8,700 students and offers more than 60 undergraduate and 20 graduate degrees.

Published June 16, 2012, in Allied News. Pick up a copy at 201 A Erie St., Grove City.