Dear UA community,
At The University of Akron, this unique calendar week represents an ending, a beginning and a midpoint. Just this past Monday, we closed out fiscal year (FY) 2025 and forged ahead on Tuesday into FY 2026. For an institution of our magnitude and influence, this annual transition allows us to simultaneously take inventory of all we've accomplished and start planning for our future ambitions. We continue to hold fast to our values of flourishing people, lifelong learning and social impact.
As you know, the University is the educational home to thousands of students, each with varying motivations and personal stories. Despite their differences, our students share a goal of increasing in intellectual capacity and professional marketability. Our campus is the site of groundbreaking faculty research, insightful classroom instruction and virtual learning opportunity. Our dedicated staff is constantly developing and implementing distinct programming that instills a sense of pride in students and the surrounding community. We are engaging with our city and far beyond, contributing to business and industry, and providing thought leadership in numerous ways. Our new branding initiative, officially introduced last month, will help us amplify all of these stories and more.
We also find ourselves at a midpoint. Personally, I've always viewed the Fourth of July federal holiday as the halfway point of summer (and the calendar year). Given this, I thought it an appropriate time to write and reaffirm some of our institutional promises. Although summer is in full gear, the University is not on break — all over campus, we continue to work to build a better UA with a growing, sustainable and powerful future. That goal is at the center of all we do. It explains why our Board of Trustees and the UA leadership team are working together on our institutional revitalization. Recently, we introduced our budget improvement plan, already underway in FY 2026, which is making room for refreshed priorities.
As we look forward to the second half of this summer and the promise of a bustling fall and spring, I remind you of the following key principles. At The University of Akron, we have a strong foundation to build upon for an exciting future. We continue to adapt and evolve (as we've historically done) to maximize our efficacy. There is positive momentum that indicates a strong future and an institution aligned with student and marketplace demand. UA is a place for connection that gives deeper purpose to the lives of all we serve.
As July settles in and we celebrate our national independence this Friday, I wish for you a fruitful summer and encourage you to bask in the midpoint — with the promise of great things to come.
With Zips pride,
President R.J. Nemer
The University of Akron
Media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476, cboyd@uakron.edu