Slippery Rock responds to Dr. Phil's comments on admissions scandal

Slippery Rock University officials are responding after Dr. Phil McGraw named the institution during an interview with People about the college admissions scandal.

Sixteen parents, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, allegedly committed fraud to get their kids into top universities.

In an interview Thursday, McGraw said, “They’re not buying their kids an education. That’s not what it’s about, it has nothing to do with the education. I think this is jewelry for a lot of people. The kids are leaving high school, they don’t want to say, ‘My kid’s going to the junior college. They want to say, ‘My kid’s going to Harvard, my kid’s going to USC or Yale.’ I think it’s bragging rights for them and they don’t want to be the one parent that says, ‘Well, yeah, my kid’s going to, like, Slippery Rock.’ “

In a letter posted to the university’s Facebook page, Slippery Rock University President William Behre cites the school as an affordable option where “students whose parents work to pay their mortgage will find quality institutions that open doors to the American dream.”

Acknowledging McGraw’s background at Midwestern State College and the University of North Texas, Behre said McGraw should understand the importance of a regional public school, adding that students who attend Slippery Rock can get an education for the price of McGraw’s 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible.

“Education is the single most important means of improving mobility and leveling social and economic differences,” Behre wrote. “Universities like Slippery Rock University are key to social mobility in America and should be applauded for their efforts to narrow the gap between the haves and have-nots.”

Behre invited McGraw to visit the Butler County school this fall to meet students and alumni.

Comments on the Facebook post showed support from alumni and students for the school.

A total of 50 people were charged by prosecutors in early April, including college consultant William Singer. Parents are accused of paying Singer to bribe coaches and athletic officials to get kids into the school or to arrange for cheating on entrance exams like the SAT or ACT, The New York Times reported.

Singer has pleaded guilty to racketeering and other charges.