Dr. Luis Proenza
University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ President Luis M. Proenza highlighted the successes of the past year by invoking the rallying cry of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s 2010 national championship-winning men’s soccer team, “This is ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ!” during his 12th State-of-the-University address, held Nov. 7 in the Student Union Ballroom.
With a vision focused on an ambitious future for ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ – encompassing student success, an even closer state of integration with communities, and university technologies with potential for far-reaching societal impact, the president proudly touted ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s energy and innovation as “our declaration of excellence and distinction.”
He also trumpeted the present, pointing out that ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s success as a multifaceted engine of regional economic development – through “The ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Model” – has caught the attention of national organizations that promote higher education’s role in driving regional economies.
More:
Related:
In the media:
- ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Beacon Journal: ""
'The ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Model' as a framework for success
He described the success of The ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Model with instances of recent partnerships. These partnerships demonstrate the power of collective impact:
- An unprecedented university/corporate collaboration between Timken Company and the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ College of Engineering
- Expansion of the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ network into Cuyahoga County through The Lakewood Higher Education Center
Praising ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s faculty, staff and other employees for working hard to build and expand upon initiatives that are part of The ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Model, Proenza said, “… You have enabled our University to act as a convener, developer and anchor for clusters of innovation – clusters that generate knowledge and creative capital, train human capital, build social capital, attract financial capital and preserve natural capital.”
“We are increasingly asked to share the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Model before national and international audiences,” he continued. He pointed out that ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ has told its story in “presentations from ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ to Cleveland, Washington to California, and from Waikiki to Berlin and back again. This is ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ! ... reaching out and becoming known well beyond the borders of our region and our state. The ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Model enables us to believe that we can accomplish bold endeavors because we have accomplished bold endeavors, and we will continue to do so by using the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Model as our framework.”
Faculty research develops innovative solutions to improve lives
During his presentation, the president also outlined several successful technologies created by ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ faculty researchers, including:
- Researchers have devised a coal-fired fuel cell that produces twice as much energy per pound of coal, while at the same time capturing carbon dioxide and other emissions
- The development of a miniaturized sensing system to monitor the human heartbeat and detect the faintest early signs of heart failure
- Growing a new generation of polymers that can conduct electricity, which could find applications as diverse as artificial nerves, electromagnetic shielding or better rechargeable batteries
Moving the University forward
Concluding his remarks, Proenza pointed out three new, vital initiatives – through Vision 2020, ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s Strategic Plan – that will move the University forward.
- Define a new way to benchmark ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s success by identifying a unique set of national and international universities better suited to the University’s dynamic locale, mix of programs and opportunities
- Expand ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s partnerships with school systems throughout the region to engender greater achievement and meet the aspirations of students who would seek to continue at The University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ
- Accelerate the University’s momentum through enhanced marketing and communication initiatives, more effectively enabling ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ to tell its story in order to attract additional resources and forge new partnerships to enhance ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s mission, The ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Model and ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s Strategic Plan, Vision 2020: The New Gold Standard of University Performance.
“In these and all other initiatives, success will be determined by our collective efforts, for this is, indeed, our story to tell, a story of all of us, celebrated by us,” Proenza said. “This is ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ!”
Media contact: Laura M. Massie, 330-972-6476 or massie1@uakron.edu