Case Western Reserve President Barbara R. Snyder will give her seventh State of the University address at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, in Thwing Center ballroom. The annual event gives the president an opportunity to update the community regarding the past year and upcoming initiatives. It also includes a question-and-answer session where the audience may ask for additional explanation of topics from her talk or raise entirely new subjects.
During the 2012-2013 academic year Case Western Reserve set new all-time records for undergraduate applications and annual fundraising. This fall the university enrolled the most academically qualified entering class in its history—for the second straight year. And The Washington Monthly ranked the campus the nation’s fourth best in its listing of colleges and universities that advance the public good.
At the same time, the campus has faced many of the same challenges buffeting higher education nationally. Research funding, for example, has dropped in the wake of the federal government’s sequester, with forecasts of additional cutbacks in the current fiscal year. In addition, rising concerns about affordability—related in particular to student debt and post-graduation employment opportunities—require the campus to explore ways to constrain costs and continue to increase scholarship support. Finally, the explosion of online degree and course offerings have raised questions about the value of residential education in the future.
Case Western Reserve experienced these gains and potential obstacles even as the campus community participated in a yearlong strategic planning process that centered on such broad categories as research education, finance and people. The most recent draft plan became public Oct. 8; it is expected to become final next month.