https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/education/2026/05/14/university-of-akron-president-rj-nemer-future-plans/89729820007/
D3 here we come!
Athletic facilities
Nemer’s campus tour included a drive by the university’s athletic facilities that serve more than 500 student-athletes and spirit teams.
Athletics – and the cost to operate them – will be a major focus as Nemer moves into his third year.
The recent state performance audit found the university’s already struggling main operating fund covered a $24 million deficit for the athletic department two years ago, which was more than twice the average subsidy of $11.7 million at other Ohio Mid-American Conference schools.
Roughly 15% of the $22 million in reductions the university’s board of trustees approved for this academic year were to come from the athletic department, according to the audit.
The university has hired Huron Consulting Group to help develop a specific strategic plan for the athletics department.
Nemer has pledged to raise athletic revenues and donor support as well as reduce the department's costs. But he said the reductions will not destroy what he calls a powerful brand engine that raises the university’s visibility and brings students, alumni and fans together.
Bisconti said the faculty still has had “some ups and downs” with Nemer. She hopes he will continue to engage with campus leaders through the shared governance framework and continue to improve communication with faculty, which has been an issue with nearly every president. Faculty is also waiting to see how Nemer will address the university’s athletic spending, a primary source of frustration as more than 100 faculty positions have been reduced since 2020.
“We’ve been hearing about cuts to athletics or increases in their revenue sharing for 20 years and have yet to see it,” she said.