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ÉðÊ¿Âþ»­ (UA) underwent a lot of change in 2024 — including the announcement of a new president. But there were other shifts, too, including new research facilities, unique academic initiatives and increased student opportunities. Meanwhile, UA’s students, faculty and staff continued to do big things that made an impact on the entire community and, in some cases, the country.

Credit for Prior Learning initiative takes off

UA introduced the Credit for Prior Learning initiative, an enhanced pathway to earn a college degree quicker and with less cost. This new program empowers adult learners with a unique pathway to accelerate their journey toward earning an undergraduate degree or a certificate. The initiative takes into account learning acquired outside of the traditional academic environment, catering to individuals from various backgrounds and work experiences.

Akron Children’s sports health facility opens

Akron Children’s opened a comprehensive sports health facility on the UA campus to better serve more than 500 UA student-athletes across 17 teams. The sports health center, located inside the Stile Athletics Field House, not only serves Zips student-athletes but all UA faculty, staff and students with orthopedic or sports injuries. The facility is also a destination sports health center for athletes 12 and up.

Akron Law moves up in rankings

ÉðÊ¿Âþ»­ School of Law saw its rankings improve in a number of areas in the latest edition of the U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools. Akron moved up 14 places to No. 136 in the overall ranking. The Intellectual Property program moved up 15 spots to No. 36. This is the highest among Ohio’s law schools and fourth highest in the broader region encompassing Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania and Upstate New York. The Trial Advocacy program is ranked No. 42, which ties for second highest in Ohio and third highest in the broader region defined above.

Center for Intelligence and Security Studies renamed for distinguished alumnus

The University’s Center for Intelligence and Security Studies was renamed in recognition of Michael J. Morell ‘80, the distinguished former acting director of the CIA and a media commentator on U.S. intelligence and national security issues. Now known as the Michael J. Morell Center for Intelligence and Security Studies, the Center is a resource to prepare the security professionals of tomorrow by bringing together students, faculty and security practitioners for training, research and education in the areas of intelligence, national security and cybersecurity. Morell is a Cuyahoga Falls native who graduated with a degree in economics.

Esports director earns national recognition

Nathan Meeker ’04, director of esports at ÉðÊ¿Âþ»­ (UA), was honored with the National Association of Esports Coaches and Directors (NAECAD) Director of the Year award at the 2024 NAECAD National Convention in Minneapolis, Minn. This award, for which Meeker was nominated by peers within the esports community, recognizes his outstanding contributions to and leadership in collegiate esports. UA’s esports program is consistently recognized as one of the top collegiate programs in the country.

Dodgeball club wins national championship

UA’s Women’s dodgeball club clinched the 2024 National Collegiate Dodgeball Association (NCDA) title in April and one of its own, Alexis Schultz, was named the prestigious title of National Dodgeball Player of the Year. The club made history by clinching the title after achieving the biggest comeback in collegiate women's dodgeball history. After trailing 1-3 in the championship match, Akron made a spectacular comeback, winning the next six points for a dominant 7-3 victory against rival Michigan State University.

University campus becomes focal point for total solar eclipse

April’s total solar eclipse drew international attention to communities such as Akron that were to experience darkness in the path of totality. Thousands of people visited the UA campus for clear viewing of the rare phenomenon. UA’s Urban STEM Center was part of a nationwide eclipse community science project.

UA, Joffrey Ballet School form innovative academic partnership

UA and the renowned Joffrey Ballet School of New York City announced an exclusive academic partnership to offer aspiring dancers the opportunity to enroll in the Joffrey Ballet School Trainee Program for dance training while simultaneously pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Dance at UA. The partnership aims to provide students with specialized professional dance training from world-class instructors at the Joffrey Ballet School campus in New York City, coupled with exceptional online and classroom-based academic instruction from UA.

Alumnus R.J. Nemer becomes UA’s 19th president

The UA Board of Trustees named then-College of Business Dean R.J. Nemer president of the University in May following the retirement of Dr. Gary L. Miller. Nemer, who has an undergraduate business degree and a J.D. from UA, became the first alumnus since Hezzelton Simmons (1933-1951) to serve as president and the second two-time alumnus (Parke R. Kolbe, 1913-1925) to assume the presidency.

University part of $51 million federal investment in polymers

, a collaboration of private and public partners, including ÉðÊ¿Âþ»­, was named the recipient of a $51 million federal investment as part of the EDA Tech Hubs Phase 2 awards. This initiative, led by the Greater Akron Chamber, is one of 12 award recipients nationally. ÉðÊ¿Âþ»­ will receive $7.1 million from this grant to support various initiatives aimed at advancing sustainable polymer technologies. These funds are designated to drive innovation, create high-quality jobs, and strengthen the United States' economic competitiveness and national security.

Partnership makes UA the official university of the Cleveland Browns

The University announced in August it had formed an exclusive strategic partnership with the Cleveland Browns, making UA the official university of the Browns. The partnership expands internship opportunities with the storied NFL franchise to UA students across various majors, providing hands-on, engaged learning to elevate the University experience. The partnership will also allow UA to explore and introduce interdisciplinary academic programming with the Browns designed to jumpstart careers.

Zips enjoy individual, team athletics success

This year brought UA’s athletics programs success from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) to the international stage. UA swimmer Grace Nuhfer, a senior business analytics major, won a silver medal for the U.S. at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. Zips men’s basketball player Enrique Williams was drafted by the NBA’s Indiana Pacers after leading UA to the MAC championship over Kent State and a berth in the NCAA championship. The Zips men’s track and field team and women’s swimming and diving team both won MAC championships. The men’s soccer team won the Big East Conference regular-season championship and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

ÉðÊ¿Âþ»­ opens spaces for student learning and workforce development

UA formally opened in September two facilities that will shape the UA student experience and support workforce development in Northeast Ohio. The Timken Foundation Center for Precision Manufacturing (CPM) is a state-of-the-art renovated facility, funded by a $3 million grant from The Timken Foundation of Canton. The 15,800-square-foot space is a cooperative center between industry and UA, where industry members define their research and workforce needs, and the center addresses these needs through collaborative research, technological innovations and workforce training.

UA also celebrated the new nurse anesthesia operating room simulation lab. The lab offers its doctoral-level anesthesia students access to cutting-edge technology in a dynamic, real-world environment. Renovations to the space were made possible in part by a donation from ÉðÊ¿Âþ»­ Foundation’s Stewardship & Women in Philanthropy Committee. The surgical simulation room’s most significant addition is a video laryngoscope, which is a medical device with a camera used during intubation.

Big names visit campus

Each year, UA draws big speakers to campus for various engagements. This year was no different. NPR reporter David Folkenflik visited UA to participate in a podcast recording for the John S. Knight Lecture; Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater Scott Hamilton delivered the Delta Gamma Lectureship; and Emmy winning TV host Montel Williams was the keynote speaker for the University’s annual ÉðÊ¿Âþ»­ Race forum.

MAP grant expands opportunities for more students

UA expanded one of the most supportive financial aid programs with an increase to its Making Akron Possible (MAP) Grant, ensuring that a greater number of local students can access higher education without financial barriers. The most notable change to the MAP Grant is the expansion of the family adjusted gross income (AGI) threshold for eligibility. Eligible new students and transfer students from Summit, Stark, Medina, Portage, Cuyahoga and Wayne counties will automatically receive the MAP Grant.

Political scientists in demand for media regarding election

Political news always means UA’s political science faculty, especially those affiliated with the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, are in demand by the media. UA’s political scientists were in the news regularly for several months and were quoted in dozens of articles. The topics for which they were interviewed included the debates, vice presidential candidate selections, the political climate across the country, the impact of hurricane season on the election, races in Ohio and undecided voters. The news outlets in which these mentions appeared included ABC News, Newsweek, USA Today, The Hill, The Baltimore Sun, CSPAN, WFMJ radio, the Ray Horner Show, MSN.com, USA Today, Cleveland.com and more.

Zippy signs historic NIL deal

UA’s beloved Zippy mascot made history by signing a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal with the County of Summit ADM Board. Zippy is the first female mascot to sign such a deal. This multi-year partnership will help raise awareness for behavioral health and the ADM Board’s life-changing work in prevention, treatment and recovery support services.

UA awarded $2 million for electronic vehicle battery research

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) awarded the University of Akron $2 million to fund a study that will focus on recycling plastics and other polymers from electric vehicle (EV) battery packs, to prevent the materials from polluting landfills. This grant will fund U.S. research into sorting plastic and polymer waste from EV battery packs that have reached the end of their useful life and find new applications for the materials.

UA Press book of poetry wins prestigious award

A book of poetry published by the University of Akron Press won the 2024 National Book Award for Poetry, an award that is rarely given to books published by university presses. “Something About Living,” by poet, essayist and translator Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, explores Palestinian life through the lens of American language. 

Media contact: Cristine Boyd, cboyd@uakron.edu, 330-972-6476