The board of governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education has appointed Karen Riley as the next president of Slippery Rock University. She will take office on July 1.
Slippery Rock University, located in western Pennsylvania near the Ohio border, enrolls just over 6,900 undergraduate students and about 1,500 graduate students. Women make up 56 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Dr. Riley has been provost and chief academic officer at Regis University in Denver, Colorado, since 2021. Before joining Regis University, she was dean of the College of Education at the University of Denver from 2014 to 2021. An expert in neurodevelopmental disorders, Dr. Riley has researched approaches to addressing societal issues and improving the lives of those affected by Fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome.
Dr. Riley earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Colorado State University. She holds a master’s degree in early childhood special education and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Denver.