To the Case Western Reserve University Community:
The start of the academic year brings new energy to our campus and, for me, a renewed sense of optimism. Last Friday, the 18th, we welcomed first-generation college students and their families to campus, and on Sunday, the 20th, my wife, Karen, and I helped move students into residence halls. Both events reminded me vividly of the transformative power of what we do for our students and of the enormous responsibility we have for them and to their families. We are all engaged in one of our society’s noblest efforts: sharpening the people and the ideas that move our civilization forward.
At CWRU, our priorities—to elevate academic excellence, expand our research enterprise, and enhance community engagement—guide our way toward excellence.
We’ve made tremendous progress over the past year. We developed a new undergraduate student advising and support structure. We’ve continued to advance our more than 160 graduate and professional programs. We grew annual research expenditures to $467 million last year, a figure that puts us closer to our goal of $600 million in the next few years. We’ve refined plans for a Population and Community Health Initiative that prioritizes the health and wellness of the people of Cleveland.
This academic year, we’ll build on that momentum. We will complete our searches for a new provost and executive vice president, and for a vice president of student affairs. We’ll bid farewell to Yost Hall and break ground on the new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building, a 192,000-square-foot research-only facility that will open in 2026. We will begin renovations on a formerly vacant historic property to give it new life as the Wade Park Community Engagement Center, a space for neighborhood programming, tutoring for school children, and services from our law clinics, among others.
We’ll do this and so much more. These are exciting times, and our work is important. I hope you all remain engaged and focused on the great things ahead.
I wish you all a successful academic year.
Sincerely,
Eric W. Kaler
President