Path to 50K: A journey defined by our impact

To understand our growth, we need to appreciate the dynamics and demographics among the students choosing UC. We are not growing at the expense of other universities. Our research shows that among our fastest-growing demographics are talented students who may never have otherwise pursued a college degree.

For example, we now have more than 9,000 first-generation students on our campuses, 8% more than last year. In other words, about one of every six students is the first in their family to attend a four-year institution of higher learning.

What will this mean to their family, to our city and to our region? A recent study in Ohio shows that college graduates earn about $1.2 million more during their careers than individuals with a high school diploma.

Importantly, our growth is not just taking place at Uptown. Far from it. Both our regional campuses have grown significantly this year. And nearly 17% of our student body attend online only. This represents more than 8,000 people, many of them adult learners who are returning to college to upskill and reskill — efforts that boost our regional economy.

As a state university, we are delivering on our public mission, evidenced in part by our impact on the regional economy. A recent study commissioned by the Inter-University Council of Ohio found that UC’s impact on the business community in our region is $10.6 billion a year in added income. This is an amount that supports more than 125,000 jobs, or about one out of every 12 jobs in the region.

Our successes as an institution are largely thanks to our dedicated and talented faculty and staff who work so hard to build a welcoming, innovative and inclusive culture here. We have much to celebrate, and I’ll touch on a few of the highlights.

Our faculty are making impressive strides in teaching, scholarship and research. The latest figures from the National Science Foundation reveal that our researchers have outpaced UC’s highest-ever research expenditures with more than $615 million (including affiliates).

On July 1, UC officially became a member of the Big 12 Conference, a move that now positions our student-athletes to compete on an even bigger national stage. On Saturday, September 23, our Bearcats will host Oklahoma, our first Big 12 opponent in Nippert Stadium, marking yet another historic moment for UC.

Prior to the start of the fall semester, we held a ribbon cutting for the new Bioscience Center, located on UC’s Uptown East Medical Campus. The impressive facility includes 13 custom research labs. The 35,000-square-foot center opens research opportunities between students and faculty in the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the UC College of Medicine.

We have also opened the stunning new Clifton Court Hall on the northwest edge of our Uptown campus. This 185,000 square-foot classroom facility offers many of our Arts & Sciences students an incredible new space to learn, study and connect. We will have an official ribbon cutting for this inspiring facility on September 19.

As we begin week two of the fall semester, I’m extremely grateful for the contributions all of you make to our incredible university.

Wishing you a productive and rewarding new school year,

Neville G. Pinto

President