“President Luis Proenza addressed the board of trustees, faculty, staff, city officials, alumni, students and state representatives, during the annual State of the University address on Monday. During the speech, Proenza announced the start of a new philanthropic fundraising campaign.”
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President Luis Proenza addressed the board of trustees, faculty, staff, city officials, alumni, students and state representatives, during the annual State of the University address on Monday.

During the speech, Proenza announced the start of a new philanthropic fundraising campaign.

We have launched today a comprehensive campaign with a $500 million goal, he said.

He said the campaign is structured around three principles, To aspire, attain, and advance.

In promotional materials released at the event, the three principles are said to compel our individual investors and the university as a whole.

Proenza also said the University of Akron has been in the quiet phases of the campaign that has already raised more than $275 million.

The money raised will go towards campus buildings, facilities, and scholarships for talented students to help continue the growth of the university and the economy of Northeast Ohio, according to Proenza.

The campaign is among the top five conducted by an Ohio public university ever.

The $275 million is already among the top 100 endowments in the United States, according to the university.

Co-chairs in the campaign include Gary and Karen Taylor of UA’s Taylor Institute of Direct Marketing – also the main donors to InfoCision Stadium – and Philip and Peggy Lloyd who have been donors for more than 20 years and work with the Beatrice McDowell family funding to aid the law school.

Also in his speech Proenza addressed the new university system of Ohio, which is a collaboration of 13 Ohio public universities and 23 community colleges, Proenza said UA is a growing enterprise that will not be moving or sold.

We are riding a wave of progress and reached what some may have thought impossible to achieve.

Proenza said UA is ready to aid in the economic growth of Ohio and the nation, especially in the medical field. Ohioans are expressing concerns with health care, and Proenza agreed that they should.

He said there is a downfall in the nursing field on the horizon. However, UA has prepared.

The university, according to Proenza, has received nearly $25 million for interdisciplinary program in nursing sciences.

He said UA now leads in multiple and diverse areas in the medical field from substance abuse to bioterrorism.

According to Proenza, UA serves more than 5,000 people a year through university healthcare partnerships. The university has a 95 percent student employment rate in the field, he said.

He proclaimed UA should be designated the public university for Northeast Ohio.

Proenza also addressed the progress UA has made since 1999 when he became president. He said UA is stronger and more vibrant than ever and he is honored to take part in it.

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