Dear UA campus community,
The University of Akron has a refreshed perspective and renewed sense of motivation. Realizing that we're in a unique position to create meaningful and purposeful student opportunities, the entire campus is working toward a common goal--growth. At the beginning of the fall semester, we met incremental enrollment goals in a big way and launched our "MORE YES" brand. There is still plenty of work to do, but we're collectively celebrating significant campus wins. As we continue to enhance the University's position, we recognize the essential role our athletics program plays in campus identity and community engagement. It is more than intercollegiate competition — it is a powerful brand engine that elevates our visibility, fosters collective spirit and connects students, alumni and the broader community. In the spirit of both celebration and institutional stewardship, we write to you today.
The University of Akron is home to more than 500 student-athletes and spirit teams across the academic disciplines. Including the bands, athletics programs are instrumental in the daily campus lives of more than 800 students. These are students with deep passions and aspirations for meaningful futures. They are important to the fabric of our institutional narrative. Our investment in athletics validates a well-rounded education with the freedom and encouragement for students to be multidimensional. That investment in students and programs will continue.
Over the past several months, the University has implemented comprehensive strategies in crucial areas, including a budget improvement plan. Additionally, both the Board and UA Leadership Team have expressed a collective commitment to achieving better financial balance and fiscal alignments in UA Athletics. To that end, we have conducted a variety of necessary assessments. This past year, we invited the Ohio Auditor of State to review key programs, including UA Athletics. We'd like to update you on our athletics strategy, including pivotal optimizations underway to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
As we develop our strategic approach, we seek campus-wide unity. We will tackle the important endeavors of raising athletics revenues and donor support, as well as reducing the department's costs. The Board-approved budget improvement plan requires a University-wide $22 million reduction by the end of FY2026, approximately 15% of which is comprised by mandated budget improvements in UA Athletics. Over the next several years, we are working toward a multimillion-dollar net enhancement.
As we roll out our strategic approach to meet that goal, we are at an institutional crossroads. We are simultaneously balancing two seemingly contradictory facts. We are celebrating Zips wins, notably enrollment growth, and we are concurrently feeling the squeeze of financial uncertainties. We are committed to transparently communicating decisive steps in confronting this dual reality, including in UA Athletics. Our strategy will continue the positive momentum, uplift our student-athletes and celebrate UA's 360-degree educational experience.
UA Athletics drives sustained stakeholder support, propels our national reputation and visibility, and contributes to recruitment, financial well-being and social impact. While we are committed to raising revenues, making honest assessments, and applying efficiencies and cost-cutting measures, we will not make any decisions that will compromise students' perceptions of their UA experience, reduce the institution's growth potential or concede any of the University's market value.
To protect these interests and continue our tradition of investment in student opportunity, we've partnered with the Huron Consulting Group, renowned experts in the fields of higher education programming, financial services and the public sector. Together, over the next several months, UA Athletics and Huron will develop a specific strategic plan that inseparably aligns with the University's mission, vision and institutional culture.
Thank you for your individual colleague contributions to The University of Akron. Passions for this place run deeply, and we want to assure each person across the campus community that optimizations of UA Athletics strategies are well underway.
With earnest transparency,
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| R.J. Nemer President The University of Akron |
Andrew T. Goodrich Director, Athletics The University of Akron |
