John Entz, who had been dean of instruction at Slippery Rock State Teachers College, began his presidency while enrollment continued to decline after the attack on Pearl Harbor. By fall of 1943, only 189 students were enrolled. SRSTC began to explore ways in which its educational resources could be used to promote the nation’s war effort. By the next spring, the first Army flight-training cadets arrived, and the campus became an Army Air Force Technical Center. The college achieved a significant milestone in 1943 when it was awarded full accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. With the end of the war in Europe, enrollment began to improve. The roots of the schools nursing program were planted in 1945 when the college became a center of government-sponsored training program for cadet nurses. That same year, Entz resigned, explaining “…at this time it is wise to yield the post to a younger and more vigorous man.” Entz was a graduate of Albright College and had a master’s from New York University, where he also pursued a doctorate.