Budget cuts continue, and more are on the way at the University of Akron.
In a letter to the community, President R.J. Nemer says “It’s go time”, and outlines in general terms how they’ll be tightening their belts going forward, based on a Board of Trustees resolution directing a $22 million dollar budget reduction plan for 2026.
Cost savings are to be realized across the board, from faculty reductions, to athletics, property sales, and administrative expenditures.
With regard to faculty reductions; the exact number has not yet been determined, as the University is now in the process of negotiating through a process called “retrenchment” with the union that represents tenured faculty members.
As for Athletics; Nemer says they’ll “be required to achieve better financial balance and alignment”. In addition, as part of that process, their next director of Intercollegiate Athletics (AD) “will be instrumental in implementing required optimizations in UA Athletics and creating new avenues to increase revenue and donor support to reduce the strain on the general fund.”
Nemer tells community members “we will share sacrifices fairly and foster engagement in the process of change,” and he adds, “we simply must recognize the pivotal nature of this moment and respond with urgency and decisiveness.”
University of Akron President, Robert “RJ” Nemer
In an additional press release, University officials shared plans to enter into a public-private partnership agreement for on-campus student housing with Radnor Property Group and Capstone On-Campus Management (COCM). This partnership, they say, will “enable the University to reduce a substantial portion of its outstanding debt, revitalize current housing with an infusion of capital, and maintain its award-winning residence life and housing programs.”
In addition, University Trustees also created the Institute for Computing, Data, and Information Sciences. It will be, they say, “an investment in an area of high demand for both students and employers and will foster collaboration across the University in computer science, data science, AI, cyber technologies, and information systems.”
In addition, they note “It will enable better coordination and expansion of in-demand program offerings and sharing of strategic technological resources such as the Musson Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Testbed, a state-of-the-art cybersecurity facility for research and training, and the Ohio Cyber Range Institute (OCRI) regional programming center, a virtual space for conducting exercises and competitions to improve emergency preparedness and cyber incident response capabilities.”
