To the Case Western Reserve University Community:
The ethos of our university is uncomplicated and straightforward: We are an institution focused on impact.
Looking to the coming year, it is important that we are even more deliberate in maintaining our focus. The country faces changes and geopolitical challenges as we prepare for a transition of power on Jan. 20. Although the landscape around us may shift, we must be flexible enough to adapt and firm enough to hold true to our mission. Working together, I am confident we will continue to be a force for positive change in the world.
In that vein, I share this State of the University message. We have much to celebrate from 2024, and we have laid the groundwork for a bright future.
Progress on Our Priorities
In 2024, we continued to be driven by our three institutional priorities: to elevate academic excellence, expand our research enterprise and enhance our engagement with the community. Working with leadership throughout the university, we have embedded these priorities into our campus culture and accepted them into the campus vernacular. The fact that we embrace these priorities so deeply, as individuals and as a collective community, enables us to advance our most critical projects and initiatives.
I want to acknowledge that our financial health remains strong—we ended Fiscal Year 2024 with an operating surplus of $18 million and a record year of philanthropic gifts totaling nearly $211 million. This provides us with a solid bedrock upon which to build.
Elevating Academic Excellence
We are fortunate to attract an exceptionally talented, high-achieving student body year-after-year. This fall, our enrollment includes more than 6,500 undergraduate students and about 6,000 graduate and professional students. As a reflection of our strategy to grow our undergraduate population, this is the second consecutive year that undergraduates have outnumbered our graduate and professional students. Though we do not plan to grow our number of undergraduate students any further, we do have room to expand enrollment in our graduate and professional programs.
Of the 1,619 members of the Class of 2028, 15-percent identify as an under-represented minority, whereas last fall, that figure was 20-percent. Our decline in the enrollment of under-represented minority students was not unexpected, given the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard College that eliminated the use of race as a factor in admissions. We were among the vast majority of American colleges and universities who experienced these declines. For our part, we will continue to strive for a diverse community in all respects—identity, thought, perspectives and life experience—because that is who we are and diversity is among our core values.
Led by the Office of the Provost, the Faculty 100 initiative, which aims to hire at least 100 net new tenure and tenure-track faculty by 2028, is well underway. These new positions will be funded half by the school budgets and half through philanthropy. To date, we have hired 47 new faculty members and are currently engaged in nine active searches—we anticipate completing these searches by the end of this fiscal year. This investment in our faculty is critical to driving our future success as an institution and strengthening our academic community.
I also want to share my appreciation of the Faculty Senate for their collaboration in clarifying our definition of “tenure” here at CWRU. In February, the Board of Trustees approved a Faculty Handbook amendment to specify that tenure comes with a salary guarantee. This guarantee is set by the deans of each of the schools and the College—they also are responsible for implementing this policy and codifying it in their bylaws. We believe that this amendment will help to retain and to attract exceptional faculty as we continue hiring through the Faculty 100 Initiative.
In 2024, each of our schools and the college made significant contributions to our university community’s pursuit of academic excellence. Highlights include:
- Case School of Engineering continued to set records in terms of research wins and expenditures—these span large, multiple-PI efforts as well as various National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Energy (DOE) grants and prestigious Young Investigator Awards. Further, many engineering faculty have been central to initiatives that are strategic at a university level, including the NSF Engines and National Institute of Standards and Technology A.I. Institute proposals.
- The College of Arts and Sciences unveiled state-of-the-art biology lab classrooms and collaborative spaces this fall on the first floor of the Dental Research Building. We expect approximately 1,500 students each year will use the facilities. The College hired more than a dozen new faculty members and continues to be a leader in interdisciplinary growth through the Experimental Humanities Program and the Cleveland Humanities Collaborative.
- Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing remains among the nation’s leading nursing schools in terms of reputation and NIH funding. In Fiscal Year 2023, the School of Nursing was ranked #6 in the nation among private nursing schools for NIH funding and 12th among all nursing schools. On campus, the use of its Center for Nursing Education, Simulation and Innovation increased dramatically, as the school incorporates more standardized practices to assess student learning outcomes. Last summer, the 2024 CWRU Flight Camp returned to the CWRU University Farm, providing on-site skills training for nurses and first responders who work in air medical transport.
- Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences has achieved a remarkable 44% increase in incoming enrollment since 2021, amidst a market with increased competition and growing numbers of MSW programs. In that same time period, extramural funding at the school has surged 91%, a figure that reflects heightened investment in solving community and societal issues. Similarly, philanthropy from alumni, friends, faculty and staff has exploded with a 600% increase on the Day of Giving alone, from 2021 to 2024.
- The School of Dental Medicine began implementation of its new strategic plan, The Business of Dental Education, which was developed over a two-year collaborative process that engaged all school stakeholders. In August, the school unveiled an upgraded Simulation Clinic at the Samson Pavilion, a $2.6 million renovation that features the latest equipment, technology and realistic patient simulation available. A new electronic clinical grading system evaluates student performance with an emphasis on ethical, comprehensive and compassionate care, along with delivering quality and safe patient care where students use critical thinking, evidence-based dentistry, prevention and health promotion and practice management skills. This system more closely mirrors how dentists in practice care for patients and provides the school with data analytics that will inform and drive clinical operations.
- The School of Law admitted one of the most diverse classes in its history this fall, with 31% of students identifying as under-represented minorities, 24% LGBTQ, 8% first-generation citizens, 12% first-generation college students, and 35% first-generation graduate/professional school students. The strength of the school’s faculty was recognized in August by a 2024 Sisk/Leiter study, which ranked the school’s faculty 43rd in the country for scholarly impact. Two of the specialty programs at the School of Law were among the top 20 of 196 ranked law schools in the 2024 U.S. News and World Report Best Law Schools specialty programs rankings. The International Law program came in at #13 and the Health Law program ranked #15.
- The School of Medicine officially launched the Institute for Population and Community Health, a collaborative institute to be located at the Midtown Collaboration Center that will consolidate all of the University’s work within the population and community health space. Our partners in the institute include the Cleveland Foundation, JumpStart and MidTown Cleveland. In September, the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center put together an impressive and successful site visit for the National Cancer Institute and earned enthusiastic peer review feedback in its recent renewal application. The research at the Case CCC is vital, not just to the university, but also to the health of the people of Northeast Ohio and the country.
- The Weatherhead School of Management has secured five grants since last fall, for a 33% hit rate and a strong pipeline of applications. In the past year, the school has launched new executive education programs that bring our expertise in leadership to new demographic groups and help those in the business world better understand the A.I. revolution. This fall, the school welcomed an inaugural cohort of 14 students into its new online MBA in Product Management. The program, designed for working professionals, incorporates a digital, analytics, and AI-infused curriculum.
Our faculty, staff and students continue to be recognized for their excellence with honors and awards by various professional organizations and societies, the academies, and more. The same is true for our Spartan varsity athletes, as the university finished 23rd of about 450 NCAA Division III programs, our highest-ever finish.
This year at commencement in May, we honored three new Distinguished University Professors—the university’s highest honor for faculty—for their exceptional scholarship and contributions to their fields. They are:
- Hillel Chiel, professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences;
- Mitch Drumm, the Connie and Jim Brown Professor in Cystic Fibrosis Research at the School of Medicine; and
- Jonathan Stamler, the Robert S. and Sylvia K. Reitman Family Foundation Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Innovation at the School of Medicine and president of the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals Health System.
Expanding Our Research Enterprise
When I joined the university in 2021, we set a goal to grow our research expenditures by 50%—from roughly $400 million to $600 million. We’ve indicated previously that our expenditures for Fiscal Year 2023 were nearly $554 million, which improved our NSF Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey ranking to 59th, up three positions from 62nd in 2022. This represented an increase of 18.5%, second in growth only to the University of Texas, which reported a 22% increase. Preliminary figures indicate even more growth for Fiscal 2024, as well as the possibility to exceed our $600 million goal.
As we look ahead, the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building will advance our reputation as one of the country’s—and the world’s—leading institutions of research. Construction on the $300 million building began in May, following the demolition of Yost Hall shortly after commencement. Once completed, the 189,000-square-foot ISEB will be a bustling research hub for principal investigators and their teams to collaborate and discover in state-of-the-art research spaces. Importantly, beyond the four walls of the ISEB, we will, at last, have a welcoming entrance to campus for community members and visitors from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. We are deeply grateful to have received more than $110 million in gifts and pledges for the ISEB, a figure that is a testament to the generosity of our friends and alumni as well as the anticipated impact of the building. This puts us well ahead of schedule in reaching our goal of $150 million in philanthropic support.
We also appreciate the efforts of our excellent team of ISEB construction partners at Discovery Builders—a joint venture between Turner Construction Company, Adrian Maldonado & Associates Inc., Next Generation Construction and the AKA Team—who are keeping the project on time and on budget. Both Turner and Case Western Reserve support these minority- and women-owned contractors, all of which are local, best-in-class construction firms. We want them to continue to succeed as they grow their business.
When the ISEB opens in 2026, it will complete the pathway for our three-part research ecosystem which comprises discovery at ISEB; design and prototyping at Sears think[box]; and support for commercialization at the 11000 Cedar Startup Incubator, our four-story, 80,000-square-foot healthcare and technology startup incubator. Our vision is that the incubator will become the regional epicenter of innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization. Currently, about 25 startups and the Human Fusions Institute are working out of the Incubator, with a goal of 70 or more startups.
Across the university, our research faculty and staff continue publishing their discoveries and innovations in the country’s and the world’s leading journals. They earn prestigious grants and funding from a variety of sources. Among our notable awards in 2024 was a $44 million contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop live replacement joints as a treatment for those who suffer from debilitating osteoarthritis. This award was particularly important because it provided the resources to move quickly toward a treatment outcome and included specific milestones and commercialization requirements.
In our efforts to encourage research beyond the university, we serve as the lead applicant for a new $160 million National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) proposal, named Northeast Ohio Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies (NEO-SMART). The NSF Engines program seeks to drive economic growth and enhance national security through innovation by catalyzing industry-driven R&D, creating a vibrant startup ecosystem, and developing a strong workforce. The NEO-SMART plan engages Northeast Ohio partners from industry, higher education, economic development, local government, and philanthropy, and focuses on sustainable manufacturing that will dramatically increase research and jobs throughout the region. The proposal seeks to create or retain 30,000 manufacturing jobs in Northeast Ohio and aims to position the region and the state for long-term economic success and security. Currently, we are one of two finalists in the state and one of 71 across the country who are competing for the award.
The university also is leading a proposal to the NIST AI for Resilient Manufacturing USA Institute, called the Collaborative Human Centered AI for Resilient Manufacturing (CHARM) Institute. This proposal has been developed in collaboration with more than 180 partners from academia, industry, and other public and nonprofit organizations. The CHARM Institute will transform U.S. manufacturing by deploying advanced AI technologies with a focus on empowering workers, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and manufacturing communities. If successful, this $70 million federal investment would make Northeast Ohio the hub for the future of AI in human-centric AI applications in manufacturing.
Enhancing Our Community Engagement
As the leading private research university in the state and in the region, Case Western Reserve University partners with civic groups and community organizations to better deploy our expertise in ways that support improved health, social and economic outcomes for the people of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.
We were pleased to open the Wade Park Community Engagement Center this fall. The center, located at 11310 Wade Park Avenue, is now home to our Office of Local Government and Community Relations and offers a range of services for local residents, school-aged children, and community groups. It also serves as the meeting place for the university’s Neighborhood Advisory Council.
When the Institute for Population and Community Health opens at the MidTown Collaboration Center in 2025, it will create a hub for faculty and researchers from the departments of nutrition, population and quantitative health sciences, medical education and Center for Community Health Integration. The institute is led by the School of Medicine, but will work closely in collaboration with Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, the School of Law, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences and Weatherhead School of Management.
We have worked closely with leaders in local, state and federal government to form partnerships designed to advance economic and job growth. This year, we will take on the role of operational lead in the Cleveland Innovation District (CID). The CID is part of the Ohio Discovery Corridor, which fosters collaboration between universities, industries and startups to drive innovation and the state’s economy. Working with our partners— Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, the MetroHealth System and Cleveland State University—we will create synergies within the district and with the state’s two other innovation districts in Columbus and Cincinnati.
Focusing on our own campus community, our ability to teach and learn depends on our ability to maintain a safe and inclusive campus environment. To that end, I encourage all members of our campus community to review our procedures and operating rules for freedom of expression-related activities. These procedures and operating rules ensure safety, as well as equal access to educational opportunities and continued operations of the university. We appreciate your shared commitment to a safe and welcoming campus for all.
Highlights from Institutional Divisions
Just as the health of CWRU depends on the strength of our academic enterprise, our business and operations divisions provide critical support for the day-to-day functions and long-term successes of the university.
For Fiscal Year 2024, our University Relations and Development (URD) team celebrated a record fundraising year, with $210.8 million in attainment. During this fiscal year, URD development officers will continue to seek gifts for the ISEB to achieve its $150 million fundraising goal while members of the events team will begin planning for the university’s bicentennial in 2026.
The fiscal management of the university by the Division of Finance reflects a continued commitment to focused strategic investment, coupled with disciplined expense management. Our Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget includes an operating margin and surplus of $15 million (prepared on a modified case basis), an enhanced salary pool of four percent (which is intended to support merit, promotional and internal equity adjustments), and strategic plan investment and academic center-retained surplus investment. In our 2024 Financial Report, the division shared Fiscal Year 2024 highlights including: a net operating activity of $92 million (prepared using generally accepted accounting principles); revenue totaling $1.3 billion, an increase of nearly 6% over Fiscal Year 2023; expenses totaling $1.2 billion, an increase of nearly 5% over Fiscal Year 2023; and an operating surplus of $18 million.
Our Division of Public Safety continues to maintain the safety of our campus community with educational programming and professional training. Resiliency in Self-defense Education and Universal Protection (RISE UP) is a new self-defense program to foster inclusivity and empower all members of the CWRU community. The division established a sexual assault response team that consists of police, dispatchers, the co-responder team and administrative staff to ensure the division responds in a trauma-informed manner for calls concerning sexual assault on campus. By the end of the spring 2025 semester, the division expects to certify all police and dispatchers in crisis intervention.
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Engagement welcomed more than 160 students in its second annual Envision Weekend, an early arrival program geared to under-represented first-year students that welcomes them to the campus community and helps them build strong connections to classmates and to the university. This fall’s Power of Diversity lecture series aimed to enhance dialogue and understanding of conflicts in the Middle East, Jewish identity and antisemitism, Muslim/Arab identify and Islamophobia, and religious pluralism. In November, the office hosted its second annual Preparing Future Faculty Retreat, a workshop designed to broaden the participation of underrepresented scholars in pursuing academia as a career choice.
University Marketing and Communications (UMC) continues to raise awareness about the university, both internally and externally. In the last year, the team had more than 800 national and international media placements, which reached hundreds of millions of readers and viewers. In cooperation with the university’s facilities team, the division also installed pole banners and new signage on campus, with more to come in the next month. This fall, UMC teamed with campus partners to grow Blue CWRU Fridays, where the entire campus community is encouraged to wear CWRU spirit gear. To further promote our strengths and publicize our successes, UMC created holistic marketing plans for every school and launched new websites for the Office of Research & Technology and the ISEB.
Our Human Resources team, in collaboration with the Child Care Working Group unveiled the Child Care Subsidy Program, effective last Jan. 1. Under the program, eligible employees can receive up to $2,000 each fiscal year to support the cost of child care. University-wide, more than 100 awards to faculty, staff, students and postdocs were issued for this current fiscal year. Based on the response, we plan to offer the program again next year.
Determining smart and better uses of artificial intelligence has dominated the work of UTech. The group collaborated with Microsoft to accelerate AI adoption and to discover new ways to use AI across our curriculum, research and administrative functions. UTech also implemented a secure AI environment for students, faculty and staff, and, in partnership with the Office of the Provost, the division developed and piloted the university’s first AI chatbot, Spartan Answers, on My CWRU.
New University Leadership Team Members
In the last year, we’ve welcomed several new members of our leadership team and announced others who will join us in 2025.
Joy Ward became our provost and executive vice president in January, after serving six months as interim provost. Prior to that role, she was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from July 2020 to July 2023.
In February, the Board of Trustees elected Julie Gerberding (WRC ’77, MED ’81)—a renowned infectious diseases specialist who is now chief executive officer of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health—as its next chair. She will begin her term in June 2025, succeeding Board Chair Fred DiSanto (WRC ’85, MGT ’86), who has led the board since 2020.
In May, our Chief Financial Officer John Sideras announced he would retire from the university after 17 years of service, effective Jan. 31, 2025. John shepherded the university from a $20 million deficit in fiscal year 2007 to the solid financial ground we enjoy today. Following a national search, led by Provost Joy Ward and our search partner, WittKieffer, we will welcome Brian Burnett as our next CFO and executive vice president in January.
Last summer, several other key leaders joined the university. In July, we welcomed Paul Rose as the dean of the School of Law, Travis Apgar as the vice president for student affairs, and Erica Starrfield as the new vice president of University Marketing and Communications.
In March 2025, University of Michigan professor David Gerdes will become dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. I am grateful to Peter Whiting and to Lee Thompson for their service as interim deans of the College.
In 2025, we will begin a national search for the next dean of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, as Dean Carol Musil will step down at the end of this academic year, following 30 years at the school and six years as its dean. We expect to announce the search committee members soon.
As we look ahead to 2025, there is some measure of uncertainty. Yet, uncertainty can be a powerful motivator for devising solutions to complex challenges and for reshaping our approaches and methods. Despite these unknowns, I have confidence in the people of CWRU to press on, to unlock answers, to find a better way, and to make our world a better place.
Thank you for your contributions to our university community in the past year. Our university is the success that it is because of our commitment to impact.
I wish all of you a safe and enjoyable winter break and a happy, healthy 2025.
Eric W. Kaler
President