admin
Tue, 08/12/2025 - 19:40
Edited Text
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University
Domenic Ionta Interview
November 16, 2023
Bailey Library, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Interviewed by Megan John
Transcribed by Sara Dickensheets
Proofread and edited by Rachel Horoau and Judy Silva
Reviewed and approved by Dominic Ionta
MJ: It is about 9:50 in the morning on November 16th, 2023. And I'm here interviewing Dom
[Domenic] Ionta in Special Collections. Hi Dom.
DI: How are you, Megan?
MJ: Doing pretty well. How are you?
DI: Good.
MJ: All right. So first off, could I get some biographical information, like your name, where
you're from, education, stuff like that.
DI: Okay. Domenic Ionta, “Dom.” I'm originally from Ellwood City. I was born in Ellwood
City; I was born in 1941 [laughs]. And the--you want to know about my education?
MJ: Yeah.
DI: Okay. I went to school in Ellwood City, graduated from Lincoln High School in 1959. I
attended Slippery Rock. At the time, it was transferring from Slippery Rock State Teachers
College [pause] Slippery Rock State Teachers College to Slippery Rock State College.
And so that was--I came in ‘59, and I graduated from Slippery Rock State College in 1963. And
then I did some graduate work at Westminster College from ‘65 to ‘68, worked on my master's
and got my principal certification. And then from 1975 to 1978 was [at] Youngstown State
University. I received my Superintendent's Letter of Eligibility. [I was a teacher and coach at
Seneca Valley my first two years, and I was at the Laurel School District fourteen years, as a
teacher, coach, assistant principal, and principal. I spent nine years as principal at Beaver High
School and my last seventeen years I was superintendent at the Union Area School District].
MJ: All right. And, oh gosh, I had a question for you, and I forgot it . . . oh, was Westminster, is
that the one in Utah or is that closer by?
DI: The one in Lawrence County. I mean, in New Wilmington [Pennsylvania].
MJ: Okay. And what is your current affiliation with Slippery Rock University?
DI: Currently, I’m serving as a trustee. I’m the Chairman of the Trustees.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 2
MJ: All right. And in the time you've been here, has the structure changed? Like, how has the
area changed since . . . ?
DI: How has it changed?
MJ: Yeah.
DI: Well [laughs], when I was a student, the newest buildings on campus were the [Morrow]
Field House and Patterson Hall. There was nothing below the Field House [laughs] and
Patterson Hall. It's changed from that standpoint and number of students: when I was here, we
had 1,400 and now we have over 8,000. So that changed.
But I always brag about Slippery Rock because a thing that hasn't changed--a couple of things
haven't changed. One is the culture. When I was a student here, when I was a freshman, we had
to wear a beanie and a sign with our name. We had to say “Hi” to every student every time we
walked past someone.
MJ: Like this type of beanie? [Points to hat].
DI: Yeah, it was a real small green beanie right on our head. And I always brag because now
we have 8,000 students [laughs]. A few more buildings. But I'll tell you what, every time I'm on
campus, when I was walking to the library today, everyone, “Hello.” “How are you?” You
know that culture--you know it really--somehow, we've retained that culture.
It's just a really nice place, nice place. Sometimes if I'm driving on campus and I can't find a
building, one of the workers will stop their truck, “Can I help you?” “I'm looking for this
building.” They’ll say, “Follow me.” Just really, just very nice. That part of the culture hasn't
changed. And the time also--now, this is [laughs] over 50 years later.
The other thing is, I think, the staff. We had an outstanding staff when I was here. We had some
excellent leaders. When I look now, I think it's the same. We're blessed with just a really
outstanding staff: administrative, faculty, the workers, the police--all of it. It's just really--that
culture has remained the same, which is kind of funny.
MJ: What did you say has changed besides the structure of the campus?
DI: What else has changed?
MJ: Yeah.
DI: Well, obviously, the number of students, the buildings. And I wasn't aware [pause] a thing
that was really impressive to me when I first became a trustee in 2020, just the amount of
recognition we receive. The awards, and the recognition. I mean, it's phenomenal. I don't know
what we had back when I was a student, but now it's just . . . I'm just so impressed by how well
we're doing, and we do well in all areas. We're doing well with enrollment, with finances,
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 3
everything, out of all the PASSHE [Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education] schools.
You know, we're right up on top.
MJ: All right. And next question, what were your first impressions of SRU [Slippery Rock
University] when you first got here, like as a student?
DI: As a student, when I first got here, again, I thought everyone was really nice. I mean,
people were just nice, and it was very structured with the expectations. And so that, yeah, that
was that was my first impression.
MJ: Were you familiar with the campus already living close by, or no?
DI: No. No. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even going to go to college. My [laughs], my father
came over [from Italy] when he was seventeen years old. My mother quit school when she was
in seventh grade. And we never talked about college [pause] so I wasn't really going to go. I
mean, tremendous family background, but we just never talked about college. And then I
played basketball and so I had an opportunity to come to Slippery Rock and play basketball. So
that's why I came [laughs]: to play basketball. That's why I went to college.
MJ: Whatever gets you here, I guess. And then you sort of answered this, but if you have
anything to add, how did your impressions change or not change over time?
DI: Well, I don't know if it's my impressions, but actually as I mentioned, I came here to play
basketball, and that was it. My counselor here said, “What do you want to major in?" And I
said, “I don't know.” [Laughs]. She said, “What was your favorite subject in high school?” I
said, “My favorite subject was Government.” She said, “Okay, you'll be a Social Studies
major.” I said, “Okay.” And [laughs] I mean, that's how things started. And it was all about
basketball. And then I had some wow moments later.
MJ: So, was that like Social Studies Education?
DI: Yes.
MJ: Okay. Did you say you had wow moments?
DI: Oh yeah.
MJ: What were your wow moments?
DI: Well, I would say probably my biggest wow was, again, it was all basketball. I was a threeyear letterman and a co-captain. And, you know, we won the West my sophomore and junior
year. We won the State championship my senior year. And it was always basketball. But then
my wow moment came when I was student teaching, and when I was student teaching [pause] I
had a couple times when the weather was bad. My schedule was: I’d get up in the morning, I
would student teach ‘til 3:00; I would drive from New Castle to Slippery Rock, have practice,
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 4
eat dinner, socialize, [drive] back to New Castle at 8:00, and then I would prepare lessons from
8:00 to 2:00 in the morning.
I would prepare my lesson and I had really good students, so I would always do a lot of
background reading so I could answer questions that they had. And a couple times the weather
was bad when I was here at Slippery Rock after practice, and it was going to get really bad. So,
I had the choice of staying here so I wouldn't miss practice the next day or making sure I got
back to New Castle so I would get my student teaching in. But then I’d have to miss practice
and so, I couldn’t miss my student teaching.
That was a wow moment. Like, jeez, something's more important than basketball here. And
that was really--I credit Slippery Rock for just creating a love of education. And I spent over 40
years in education and the background, the foundation, and I didn't realize it at the time, was
Slippery Rock. So yeah, that was kind of a wow moment when I realized, oh, there is
something more important than basketball here.
MJ: All right, next question. What have been the pressing issues during your time with SRU?
I'm not sure if she [Judy Silva] means as a student or as a trustee. So you could give me both.
DI: Pressing issues as a student? [Pause]. Pressing issues was adjusting to something besides
basketball, realizing that. Oh, I remember back then we didn't have fraternities and sororities
when I first started, and then the Trustees gave us an opportunity to vote. We voted them down
my freshman year and then I think it was my junior year, we voted them in . . . but there were
really no major pressing issues. It was--and it was always a very good culture.
MJ: What about as a trustee? What issues have you faced?
DI: We haven't faced any real issues. I mean, obviously . . . COVID, a couple of years, it was a
little different here.
MJ: Oh, yeah. Didn't you become a trustee in January [of] 2020?
DI: Yes. Yeah.
MJ: What a time.
DI: [Laughs] Yeah, so that . . . but again, as trustees we have been blessed because we have--it's
just an outstanding community starting with the leadership that we've had, and the past
president, the present president, you know, the cabinet, the administration, the faculty,
obviously the students. I mean, we just really--I don't identify anything as really pressing issues.
I mean, obviously, you always worry about enrollment. You worry about, you know, being
fiscally responsible. And so far, those things have gone very well for us.
MJ: All right. Now, [question number] seven, what campus activities have you been involved
with, again, when you were a student, besides basketball. If there was anything besides
basketball and then again when you were a trustee.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 5
DI: [Laughs] Campus activities when I was a student. Again [laughs], yeah, it was basketball. I
was president of the International Relations Club. But basically, it was basketball. And
activities as a trustee?
MJ: Mm-hm.
DI: No real hands-on activities. We depend on our leadership. I don't believe in
micromanaging. And so, we've been blessed with, like I said, very good staff.
MJ: All right. And what do you consider to be the signature accomplishment of your time with
SRU?
DI: Okay [laughs]. Okay. My signature accomplishment, I would say, and you know, if you
asked me this question when I was a sophomore, junior or . . . oh--basketball, that . . . my
signature accomplishment was student teaching. When I student taught, I had the--we had an
evaluation. [The] supervisor would evaluate us, different areas, I don’t know how many pages
the form was. So what I did was I took that form, and I had every student fill out the form and
evaluate me on all the things that my supervisor did.
I thought, these poor kids see me every day, [laughs] so I want to know what they think. And
they gave me a really excellent evaluation. And I would say that was my signature
accomplishment. That's when I realized, oh, there's something besides basketball! And I would
say that that's probably my signature accomplishment as a student at Slippery Rock.
MJ: I'm curious, how did student teaching work back then? Because I'm not an Ed [Education]
major now, so I'm not familiar with it, but I'm even less familiar with how it was in the ‘60s.
DI: Mm-hmm. Well, we met--I was assigned. I had a teacher, and, you know, you did--you
taught--I had five classes. I taught the five classes.
MJ: What level?
DI: I had seniors. Seniors, they were very bright, and it was a tremendous experience for me. In
that even I would say, what student teaching did for me--again, back to what Slippery Rock did.
They created a foundation, and it wasn't like all of a sudden there's this big cement foundation. I
think it was small bricks at a time that built this foundation, and I can't even say when I realized
that until it was later in my student life with my student teaching.
And then when I graduated--in the summers, I worked on the turnpike pumping gas. Back then
they had Gulf Oil and Howard Johnson's. You [laughs] have no idea what all that was like, but
it was very sophisticated. And so, I graduated and that summer I continued working on the
turnpike, pumping gas, and the supervisor came, took me in the back office and he said, “I want
to offer you a job with Gulf Oil.” Now, I had signed a teaching contract. Are you ready?
$4,400.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 6
MJ: Ooh!
DI: [Laughs] Plus $500 to coach basketball. And so, I’d signed that contract. He said, “I want
you to come and work for Gulf. We'll give you $8,600 plus a car, plus an expense account. And
after your six months of executive training, you'll have a substantial salary increase.”
So I looked at it, talked to him, and then thought about it and said, “No. No, I want education.”
And again, that's what Slippery Rock did that I didn't realize. I mean, I turned down [a] pretty
nice offer at that time and after forty years, never regretted it one time.
MJ: Good. Any signature accomplishments as a trustee?
DI: Pardon?
MJ: Any signature accomplishments as a trustee?
DI: [Laughs] I would say a signature accomplishment is simply being a trustee. This is such a
great place. It's a great community. Everything about it, all the--like I said, all the awards,
accomplishments, the people that I work with. So I'd say my accomplishment is simply being a
member of the Trustees.
MJ: All right. And who are other significant campus leaders, and what are your impressions of
them? So I suppose that would be other trustees around here now.
DI: Yeah. I mean, back then, again, we just had, you know, excellent role models like coach,
dean of men, and professors, and I think the same thing is true now. Andrew Carnegie; one of
my favorite quotes is from Andrew Carnegie. [Laughs] He said, “I'm not an intelligent man, but
I'm a successful man because I surround myself with intelligent people." And I think basically
that's what we enjoy here. The people are all very good, very good.
MJ: All right. And let's see, are there other people who have influenced you or been significant
to SRU? Like, specific people that you'd like to mention.
DI: I would say, again, back as a student, we had a dean of men, Herb McGivney, who was
[laughs] very good, very structured, very good. He was a good person for seventeen, eighteen,
nineteen-year-old kids to deal with.
I had two excellent teachers in Social Studies, Dr. Duncan, Dr. Moore. They were excellent.
I've had excellent mentors throughout my life. And then as a trustee, I would say we've been
blessed again with our administration and staff.
MJ: All right. And what noteworthy events or activities have taken place while you've been
affiliated with SRU? So were you affiliated between graduating from college and coming back
in 2020?
DI: No, no. I had no real affiliation. I wasn't active with the alumni and that.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 7
MJ: All right. So like what took place while you were a student and then what's taken place
while you were a trustee?
DI: In terms of?
MJ: In terms of noteworthy events or activities, like cultural moments, building projects, things
like that.
DI: Cultural . . . academic, I mentioned the professors. [Laughs]. We had a cultural thing that
occurred because the-- [I] told you Patterson Hall and the Field House, they were the new
buildings my sophomore year and I was--we had hall--the hall representatives. I was a hall rep.
And [laughs] one of the things that happened, it was coming into this time of year, and we
didn't have any heat in the buildings. And so this McGivney, who was the Dean of Men lived in
the Patterson Hall. So we had, the students, the boys, Patterson Hall, wanted to march on the
president’s house [laughs]. And so, the hall reps, we all went down to talk to the Dean of Men,
and we said, “They want to march on the president's house.” And he said, “Well,” he said, “it's
been cold. My wife and I were cold; My baby's been cold,” he said, “last night my dog was
cold,” he said, “so I think you guys should march.” [Laughs] It's not one of the proud moments
of my life, but we marched on the president's house because we wanted heat in the dorm
[laughs].
MJ: So you like picketed?
DI: Pardon?
MJ: Did you, like, picket?
DI: We just, no, we just walked up and walked back [laughs].
MJ: Oh.
DI: Back then [laughs].
MJ: Also. . . Mr. McGivney's whole family lived in Patterson?
DI: Yeah.
MJ: Oh my gosh.
DI: Yeah, they lived--they had an apartment [as] soon you walked in. I think right on the right
there, was his apartment.
MJ: Wow. All right, let's see. So the examples they're giving here is academic, cultural,
enrollment, building projects, and then regional, national or state events with local impact?
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 8
DI: Do that again?
MJ: Sure, it's academic . . . .
DI: But what about it?
MJ: It just says academic. But I suppose maybe, new majors . . . .
DI: What's the basic question?
MJ: Okay. What noteworthy events or activities have taken place while you've been affiliated?
DI: Oh, okay. And I think the--probably the event as a trustee, obviously, when we had COVID
issues. I would say probably the major event was we had Dr. Behre, and then when he retired
and [we] hired Dr. Riley, and she's been very, very good. And so I would say that's the most
significant event we had.
MJ: Were you involved in the hiring process?
DI: No, when you're the Chair of the Trustees, you're not allowed to be on the search
committee. You know, we did have an opportunity to talk a little before she was actually hired,
but our search committee did it. We had staff members, I think three trustees, and they did an
excellent job with the presidential search.
MJ: All right. And any other specific events or memories you'd like to share?
DI: No, I would say, as a student, I had already mentioned that, you know, just realizing a love
for education. That [is] the foundation that Slippery Rock provided. Like I said, I've had
excellent mentors. I've had very good staff [and] board members. And I--but I think that basic
foundation was created by Slippery Rock.
MJ: All right. Next up is words of wisdom. Anything you'd like to let current or future Rock
community members know?
DI: I think the biggest thing is just on my part, a sincere thank you. A sincere thank you to
Slippery Rock. Because, you know, that's, as I've mentioned a thousand times, and that was the
foundation. And I would just say that I have a--I owe Slippery Rock a real sincere thank you.
MJ: All right. And last question. How would you like to be remembered?
DI: [Laughs] I think I would like to be remembered as the individual who offered that sincere
thank you to Slippery Rock.
MJ: That makes sense. Thank you very much.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Domenic Ionta Interview
November 16, 2023
Bailey Library, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Interviewed by Megan John
Transcribed by Sara Dickensheets
Proofread and edited by Rachel Horoau and Judy Silva
Reviewed and approved by Dominic Ionta
MJ: It is about 9:50 in the morning on November 16th, 2023. And I'm here interviewing Dom
[Domenic] Ionta in Special Collections. Hi Dom.
DI: How are you, Megan?
MJ: Doing pretty well. How are you?
DI: Good.
MJ: All right. So first off, could I get some biographical information, like your name, where
you're from, education, stuff like that.
DI: Okay. Domenic Ionta, “Dom.” I'm originally from Ellwood City. I was born in Ellwood
City; I was born in 1941 [laughs]. And the--you want to know about my education?
MJ: Yeah.
DI: Okay. I went to school in Ellwood City, graduated from Lincoln High School in 1959. I
attended Slippery Rock. At the time, it was transferring from Slippery Rock State Teachers
College [pause] Slippery Rock State Teachers College to Slippery Rock State College.
And so that was--I came in ‘59, and I graduated from Slippery Rock State College in 1963. And
then I did some graduate work at Westminster College from ‘65 to ‘68, worked on my master's
and got my principal certification. And then from 1975 to 1978 was [at] Youngstown State
University. I received my Superintendent's Letter of Eligibility. [I was a teacher and coach at
Seneca Valley my first two years, and I was at the Laurel School District fourteen years, as a
teacher, coach, assistant principal, and principal. I spent nine years as principal at Beaver High
School and my last seventeen years I was superintendent at the Union Area School District].
MJ: All right. And, oh gosh, I had a question for you, and I forgot it . . . oh, was Westminster, is
that the one in Utah or is that closer by?
DI: The one in Lawrence County. I mean, in New Wilmington [Pennsylvania].
MJ: Okay. And what is your current affiliation with Slippery Rock University?
DI: Currently, I’m serving as a trustee. I’m the Chairman of the Trustees.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 2
MJ: All right. And in the time you've been here, has the structure changed? Like, how has the
area changed since . . . ?
DI: How has it changed?
MJ: Yeah.
DI: Well [laughs], when I was a student, the newest buildings on campus were the [Morrow]
Field House and Patterson Hall. There was nothing below the Field House [laughs] and
Patterson Hall. It's changed from that standpoint and number of students: when I was here, we
had 1,400 and now we have over 8,000. So that changed.
But I always brag about Slippery Rock because a thing that hasn't changed--a couple of things
haven't changed. One is the culture. When I was a student here, when I was a freshman, we had
to wear a beanie and a sign with our name. We had to say “Hi” to every student every time we
walked past someone.
MJ: Like this type of beanie? [Points to hat].
DI: Yeah, it was a real small green beanie right on our head. And I always brag because now
we have 8,000 students [laughs]. A few more buildings. But I'll tell you what, every time I'm on
campus, when I was walking to the library today, everyone, “Hello.” “How are you?” You
know that culture--you know it really--somehow, we've retained that culture.
It's just a really nice place, nice place. Sometimes if I'm driving on campus and I can't find a
building, one of the workers will stop their truck, “Can I help you?” “I'm looking for this
building.” They’ll say, “Follow me.” Just really, just very nice. That part of the culture hasn't
changed. And the time also--now, this is [laughs] over 50 years later.
The other thing is, I think, the staff. We had an outstanding staff when I was here. We had some
excellent leaders. When I look now, I think it's the same. We're blessed with just a really
outstanding staff: administrative, faculty, the workers, the police--all of it. It's just really--that
culture has remained the same, which is kind of funny.
MJ: What did you say has changed besides the structure of the campus?
DI: What else has changed?
MJ: Yeah.
DI: Well, obviously, the number of students, the buildings. And I wasn't aware [pause] a thing
that was really impressive to me when I first became a trustee in 2020, just the amount of
recognition we receive. The awards, and the recognition. I mean, it's phenomenal. I don't know
what we had back when I was a student, but now it's just . . . I'm just so impressed by how well
we're doing, and we do well in all areas. We're doing well with enrollment, with finances,
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 3
everything, out of all the PASSHE [Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education] schools.
You know, we're right up on top.
MJ: All right. And next question, what were your first impressions of SRU [Slippery Rock
University] when you first got here, like as a student?
DI: As a student, when I first got here, again, I thought everyone was really nice. I mean,
people were just nice, and it was very structured with the expectations. And so that, yeah, that
was that was my first impression.
MJ: Were you familiar with the campus already living close by, or no?
DI: No. No. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even going to go to college. My [laughs], my father
came over [from Italy] when he was seventeen years old. My mother quit school when she was
in seventh grade. And we never talked about college [pause] so I wasn't really going to go. I
mean, tremendous family background, but we just never talked about college. And then I
played basketball and so I had an opportunity to come to Slippery Rock and play basketball. So
that's why I came [laughs]: to play basketball. That's why I went to college.
MJ: Whatever gets you here, I guess. And then you sort of answered this, but if you have
anything to add, how did your impressions change or not change over time?
DI: Well, I don't know if it's my impressions, but actually as I mentioned, I came here to play
basketball, and that was it. My counselor here said, “What do you want to major in?" And I
said, “I don't know.” [Laughs]. She said, “What was your favorite subject in high school?” I
said, “My favorite subject was Government.” She said, “Okay, you'll be a Social Studies
major.” I said, “Okay.” And [laughs] I mean, that's how things started. And it was all about
basketball. And then I had some wow moments later.
MJ: So, was that like Social Studies Education?
DI: Yes.
MJ: Okay. Did you say you had wow moments?
DI: Oh yeah.
MJ: What were your wow moments?
DI: Well, I would say probably my biggest wow was, again, it was all basketball. I was a threeyear letterman and a co-captain. And, you know, we won the West my sophomore and junior
year. We won the State championship my senior year. And it was always basketball. But then
my wow moment came when I was student teaching, and when I was student teaching [pause] I
had a couple times when the weather was bad. My schedule was: I’d get up in the morning, I
would student teach ‘til 3:00; I would drive from New Castle to Slippery Rock, have practice,
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 4
eat dinner, socialize, [drive] back to New Castle at 8:00, and then I would prepare lessons from
8:00 to 2:00 in the morning.
I would prepare my lesson and I had really good students, so I would always do a lot of
background reading so I could answer questions that they had. And a couple times the weather
was bad when I was here at Slippery Rock after practice, and it was going to get really bad. So,
I had the choice of staying here so I wouldn't miss practice the next day or making sure I got
back to New Castle so I would get my student teaching in. But then I’d have to miss practice
and so, I couldn’t miss my student teaching.
That was a wow moment. Like, jeez, something's more important than basketball here. And
that was really--I credit Slippery Rock for just creating a love of education. And I spent over 40
years in education and the background, the foundation, and I didn't realize it at the time, was
Slippery Rock. So yeah, that was kind of a wow moment when I realized, oh, there is
something more important than basketball here.
MJ: All right, next question. What have been the pressing issues during your time with SRU?
I'm not sure if she [Judy Silva] means as a student or as a trustee. So you could give me both.
DI: Pressing issues as a student? [Pause]. Pressing issues was adjusting to something besides
basketball, realizing that. Oh, I remember back then we didn't have fraternities and sororities
when I first started, and then the Trustees gave us an opportunity to vote. We voted them down
my freshman year and then I think it was my junior year, we voted them in . . . but there were
really no major pressing issues. It was--and it was always a very good culture.
MJ: What about as a trustee? What issues have you faced?
DI: We haven't faced any real issues. I mean, obviously . . . COVID, a couple of years, it was a
little different here.
MJ: Oh, yeah. Didn't you become a trustee in January [of] 2020?
DI: Yes. Yeah.
MJ: What a time.
DI: [Laughs] Yeah, so that . . . but again, as trustees we have been blessed because we have--it's
just an outstanding community starting with the leadership that we've had, and the past
president, the present president, you know, the cabinet, the administration, the faculty,
obviously the students. I mean, we just really--I don't identify anything as really pressing issues.
I mean, obviously, you always worry about enrollment. You worry about, you know, being
fiscally responsible. And so far, those things have gone very well for us.
MJ: All right. Now, [question number] seven, what campus activities have you been involved
with, again, when you were a student, besides basketball. If there was anything besides
basketball and then again when you were a trustee.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 5
DI: [Laughs] Campus activities when I was a student. Again [laughs], yeah, it was basketball. I
was president of the International Relations Club. But basically, it was basketball. And
activities as a trustee?
MJ: Mm-hm.
DI: No real hands-on activities. We depend on our leadership. I don't believe in
micromanaging. And so, we've been blessed with, like I said, very good staff.
MJ: All right. And what do you consider to be the signature accomplishment of your time with
SRU?
DI: Okay [laughs]. Okay. My signature accomplishment, I would say, and you know, if you
asked me this question when I was a sophomore, junior or . . . oh--basketball, that . . . my
signature accomplishment was student teaching. When I student taught, I had the--we had an
evaluation. [The] supervisor would evaluate us, different areas, I don’t know how many pages
the form was. So what I did was I took that form, and I had every student fill out the form and
evaluate me on all the things that my supervisor did.
I thought, these poor kids see me every day, [laughs] so I want to know what they think. And
they gave me a really excellent evaluation. And I would say that was my signature
accomplishment. That's when I realized, oh, there's something besides basketball! And I would
say that that's probably my signature accomplishment as a student at Slippery Rock.
MJ: I'm curious, how did student teaching work back then? Because I'm not an Ed [Education]
major now, so I'm not familiar with it, but I'm even less familiar with how it was in the ‘60s.
DI: Mm-hmm. Well, we met--I was assigned. I had a teacher, and, you know, you did--you
taught--I had five classes. I taught the five classes.
MJ: What level?
DI: I had seniors. Seniors, they were very bright, and it was a tremendous experience for me. In
that even I would say, what student teaching did for me--again, back to what Slippery Rock did.
They created a foundation, and it wasn't like all of a sudden there's this big cement foundation. I
think it was small bricks at a time that built this foundation, and I can't even say when I realized
that until it was later in my student life with my student teaching.
And then when I graduated--in the summers, I worked on the turnpike pumping gas. Back then
they had Gulf Oil and Howard Johnson's. You [laughs] have no idea what all that was like, but
it was very sophisticated. And so, I graduated and that summer I continued working on the
turnpike, pumping gas, and the supervisor came, took me in the back office and he said, “I want
to offer you a job with Gulf Oil.” Now, I had signed a teaching contract. Are you ready?
$4,400.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 6
MJ: Ooh!
DI: [Laughs] Plus $500 to coach basketball. And so, I’d signed that contract. He said, “I want
you to come and work for Gulf. We'll give you $8,600 plus a car, plus an expense account. And
after your six months of executive training, you'll have a substantial salary increase.”
So I looked at it, talked to him, and then thought about it and said, “No. No, I want education.”
And again, that's what Slippery Rock did that I didn't realize. I mean, I turned down [a] pretty
nice offer at that time and after forty years, never regretted it one time.
MJ: Good. Any signature accomplishments as a trustee?
DI: Pardon?
MJ: Any signature accomplishments as a trustee?
DI: [Laughs] I would say a signature accomplishment is simply being a trustee. This is such a
great place. It's a great community. Everything about it, all the--like I said, all the awards,
accomplishments, the people that I work with. So I'd say my accomplishment is simply being a
member of the Trustees.
MJ: All right. And who are other significant campus leaders, and what are your impressions of
them? So I suppose that would be other trustees around here now.
DI: Yeah. I mean, back then, again, we just had, you know, excellent role models like coach,
dean of men, and professors, and I think the same thing is true now. Andrew Carnegie; one of
my favorite quotes is from Andrew Carnegie. [Laughs] He said, “I'm not an intelligent man, but
I'm a successful man because I surround myself with intelligent people." And I think basically
that's what we enjoy here. The people are all very good, very good.
MJ: All right. And let's see, are there other people who have influenced you or been significant
to SRU? Like, specific people that you'd like to mention.
DI: I would say, again, back as a student, we had a dean of men, Herb McGivney, who was
[laughs] very good, very structured, very good. He was a good person for seventeen, eighteen,
nineteen-year-old kids to deal with.
I had two excellent teachers in Social Studies, Dr. Duncan, Dr. Moore. They were excellent.
I've had excellent mentors throughout my life. And then as a trustee, I would say we've been
blessed again with our administration and staff.
MJ: All right. And what noteworthy events or activities have taken place while you've been
affiliated with SRU? So were you affiliated between graduating from college and coming back
in 2020?
DI: No, no. I had no real affiliation. I wasn't active with the alumni and that.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 7
MJ: All right. So like what took place while you were a student and then what's taken place
while you were a trustee?
DI: In terms of?
MJ: In terms of noteworthy events or activities, like cultural moments, building projects, things
like that.
DI: Cultural . . . academic, I mentioned the professors. [Laughs]. We had a cultural thing that
occurred because the-- [I] told you Patterson Hall and the Field House, they were the new
buildings my sophomore year and I was--we had hall--the hall representatives. I was a hall rep.
And [laughs] one of the things that happened, it was coming into this time of year, and we
didn't have any heat in the buildings. And so this McGivney, who was the Dean of Men lived in
the Patterson Hall. So we had, the students, the boys, Patterson Hall, wanted to march on the
president’s house [laughs]. And so, the hall reps, we all went down to talk to the Dean of Men,
and we said, “They want to march on the president's house.” And he said, “Well,” he said, “it's
been cold. My wife and I were cold; My baby's been cold,” he said, “last night my dog was
cold,” he said, “so I think you guys should march.” [Laughs] It's not one of the proud moments
of my life, but we marched on the president's house because we wanted heat in the dorm
[laughs].
MJ: So you like picketed?
DI: Pardon?
MJ: Did you, like, picket?
DI: We just, no, we just walked up and walked back [laughs].
MJ: Oh.
DI: Back then [laughs].
MJ: Also. . . Mr. McGivney's whole family lived in Patterson?
DI: Yeah.
MJ: Oh my gosh.
DI: Yeah, they lived--they had an apartment [as] soon you walked in. I think right on the right
there, was his apartment.
MJ: Wow. All right, let's see. So the examples they're giving here is academic, cultural,
enrollment, building projects, and then regional, national or state events with local impact?
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Dominic Ionta 8
DI: Do that again?
MJ: Sure, it's academic . . . .
DI: But what about it?
MJ: It just says academic. But I suppose maybe, new majors . . . .
DI: What's the basic question?
MJ: Okay. What noteworthy events or activities have taken place while you've been affiliated?
DI: Oh, okay. And I think the--probably the event as a trustee, obviously, when we had COVID
issues. I would say probably the major event was we had Dr. Behre, and then when he retired
and [we] hired Dr. Riley, and she's been very, very good. And so I would say that's the most
significant event we had.
MJ: Were you involved in the hiring process?
DI: No, when you're the Chair of the Trustees, you're not allowed to be on the search
committee. You know, we did have an opportunity to talk a little before she was actually hired,
but our search committee did it. We had staff members, I think three trustees, and they did an
excellent job with the presidential search.
MJ: All right. And any other specific events or memories you'd like to share?
DI: No, I would say, as a student, I had already mentioned that, you know, just realizing a love
for education. That [is] the foundation that Slippery Rock provided. Like I said, I've had
excellent mentors. I've had very good staff [and] board members. And I--but I think that basic
foundation was created by Slippery Rock.
MJ: All right. Next up is words of wisdom. Anything you'd like to let current or future Rock
community members know?
DI: I think the biggest thing is just on my part, a sincere thank you. A sincere thank you to
Slippery Rock. Because, you know, that's, as I've mentioned a thousand times, and that was the
foundation. And I would just say that I have a--I owe Slippery Rock a real sincere thank you.
MJ: All right. And last question. How would you like to be remembered?
DI: [Laughs] I think I would like to be remembered as the individual who offered that sincere
thank you to Slippery Rock.
MJ: That makes sense. Thank you very much.
Rock Voices: The Oral History Project of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Media of