Karen Riley named 18th president of Slippery Rock University

Karen Riley, provost at Regis University in Denver, has been named the next president of Slippery Rock University.

The State System of Higher Education’s board of governors on Wednesday chose Riley to succeed William Behre, who in February announced that he would retire at the end of this academic year.

Riley was one of two finalists to become Slippery Rock’ 18th president. She will take the helm on July 1.

A presidential search committee invited four candidates to campus for interviews this fall. Slippery Rock’s council of trustees then narrowed the field to two finalists, Riley and Chance Glenn Sr., provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Houston-Victoria.

The board of governors selected Riley in a unanimous vote.

“Karen is an experienced educator and leader, having served recently as dean at the University of Denver and currently as provost of Regis University,” said board Chairwoman Cynthia Shapira.

Slippery Rock “is already in a very good position and Karen will no doubt lead it to even greater heights,” Shapira said.

Riley told those participating in Wednesday’s virtual meeting that was honored and humbled to accept the position.

“I look forward to working with faculty, staff and students of Slippery Rock to advance its impressive trajectory and build on its previous success,” Riley said. “I’m also excited to work within the PASSHE system to advance the broader collective educational goals of the citizens of Pennsylvania.”

Riley became provost at Regis in 2021. Previously, she served as dean of the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver for seven years, according to her biography on the Regis website.

The biography said she is considered an expert in neurodevelopmental disorders. The website said her scholarship has focused on “interdisciplinary and intersystem approaches to addressing the complex issues of today’s society and improving the lives of children and families affected by Fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome.”

A lifelong Coloradan, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Colorado State University and a master’s in early childhood special education and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Denver.

Slippery Rock is one of 10 state-owned universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and, with just more than 8,200 students, is the third largest in Western Pennsylvania behind PennWest University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

The outgoing Behre cited the pandemic and its campus impacts as reasons for departing 16 months early. He will have served as president for five years when he leaves June 30, 2023.

Behre’s salary is $322,487, according to data tracked by PennWATCH. Terms of Riley’s contract are being finalized, officials said.