Gary Miller steps down

[Hilltopper]

The country went through a period of thought that everyone would need some level of higher education to succeed. After the recession of 2008 and the resulting high unempyment rates, Obama really ran with this idea and expanded federal funding for loans and grants. Colleges like Akron saw big increases in enrollment and responded. Eventually the government funding dried up and the bubble burst.

Edited June 6, 2024 by Hilltopper
Typo

[ClevelandZip]

https://signalakron.org/exit-of-former-university-of-akron-president-raises-questions/

Lots of speculation in this article about Miller being pushed out by the Board of Trustees. Seems like that isn’t known for sure, but the whole process was highly unusual.

Edited June 12, 2024 by ClevelandZip
Fat-thumbed an extra key.

[egregiousbob]

I'm guessing enrollment projections for fall show another decline.

[Hilltopper]

9 hours ago, ClevelandZip said:

https://signalakron.org/exit-of-former-university-of-akron-president-raises-questions/

Lots of speculation in this article about Miller being pushed out by the Board of Trustees. Seems like that isn’t known for sure, but the whole process was highly unusual.

He decided it was time to retire and spend time with his family in Texas. Not everything has to be some kind of conspiracy theory. 

[UA1996MAENG]

11 hours ago, Hilltopper said:

He decided it was time to retire and spend time with his family in Texas. Not everything has to be some kind of conspiracy theory. 

I agree.  We're not going to find out who the shooter was on the grassy knoll, so it's time to move on and support President Nemer.

[Reslife4Life]

11 hours ago, Hilltopper said:

He decided it was time to retire and spend time with his family in Texas. Not everything has to be some kind of conspiracy theory. 

Exactly. This article has no evidence of anything. Just Matthew Wilson saying it seems "odd", but Gary is 70 years old and already got through some hard years, no need to keep going til 75

[UA1996MAENG]

17 hours ago, egregiousbob said:

I'm guessing enrollment projections for fall show another decline.

Another dip in enrollment is likely, unfortunately, and not just for UA. It's been said often: Ohio has a stagnant population and "too many" universities. I think we have another issue: there are fewer and fewer high school seniors who intend on entering universities who are actually prepared for college work. I'll use my son as an example.  He got through his first year at UA in mechanical engineering, but he really struggled with math (C-) and statics (failed). Here was a kid who graduated with honors from our supposedly excellent local school district, and he admitted that he was just not ready for the "hard classes''. UA's secondary problem after declining freshmen enrollment is the retention of current students. My kid is going back to UA for year two, but so many will not. I think UA’s freshman retention rate is under 50%.  That might be worse, all things considered, than a smaller fall 2024 freshman class.  

[GP1]

22 hours ago, UA1996MAENG said:

 My kid is going back to UA for year two, but so many will not. I think UA’s freshman retention rate is under 50%. 

This is concerning. It's double the national average for drop out rates freshman to sophomore years. 

[GP1]

I know an executive who woke up on a Saturday and told his wife he was thinking about retiring. They agreed they had enough money.  That Monday he gave his two week notice. Sometimes the easiest explanation is the answer. 

[egregiousbob]

It's an urban university. Part of the role of an urban university is to help people of all ages discover whether college is right for them.  This automatically reduces retention.  It would be interesting to see the trendline over the past 10-12 years, however.

[zippy5]

1 hour ago, GP1 said:

I know an executive who woke up on a Saturday and told his wife he was thinking about retiring. They agreed they had enough money.  That Monday he gave his two week notice. Sometimes the easiest explanation is the answer. 

occam's razor

[egregiousbob]

Dr. Miller was hired to accomplish 2 main objectives:

 

1. Stabilize the university's finances.  Fact: They recently had to dip into emergency funds AGAIN to the tune of $30MM and are on track for another $50MM shortfall next year. This "rainy day" fund is drying up.  

 

2. Reverse enrollment declines.  After much hullabaloo about attracting a whopping 11 more students than the year before in fall 2023 (even though undergrad enrollment declined by nearly 200), the board was disappointed and embarrassed to hear that enrollment is projected to decline again in the fall 2024.  And not by a small number.

 

The board had to do something, even if only for optics.  When enrollment numbers are released in September there will be a hue and cry from faculty, alumni, etc.

 

The university is caught in a severe financial emergency.

 

 

[ZippyRulz]

I'm actually glad to learn that UA has $80MM+ in rainy day reserve funds apart from its endowment.

 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2024 by ZippyRulz

[GP1]

On 6/14/2024 at 10:50 AM, egregiousbob said:

Dr. Miller was hired to accomplish 2 main objectives:

 

1. Stabilize the university's finances.  Fact: They recently had to dip into emergency funds AGAIN to the tune of $30MM and are on track for another $50MM shortfall next year. This "rainy day" fund is drying up.  

 

2. Reverse enrollment declines.  After much hullabaloo about attracting a whopping 11 more students than the year before in fall 2023 (even though undergrad enrollment declined by nearly 200), the board was disappointed and embarrassed to hear that enrollment is projected to decline again in the fall 2024.  And not by a small number.

 

The board had to do something, even if only for optics.  When enrollment numbers are released in September there will be a hue and cry from faculty, alumni, etc.

 

The university is caught in a severe financial emergency.

 

 

What were the numbers when he started?  I'm too lazy to look it up myself. 

[Hilltopper]

On 6/14/2024 at 10:50 AM, egregiousbob said:

Dr. Miller was hired to accomplish 2 main objectives:

 

1. Stabilize the university's finances.  Fact: They recently had to dip into emergency funds AGAIN to the tune of $30MM and are on track for another $50MM shortfall next year. This "rainy day" fund is drying up.  

 

2. Reverse enrollment declines.  After much hullabaloo about attracting a whopping 11 more students than the year before in fall 2023 (even though undergrad enrollment declined by nearly 200), the board was disappointed and embarrassed to hear that enrollment is projected to decline again in the fall 2024.  And not by a small number.

 

The board had to do something, even if only for optics.  When enrollment numbers are released in September there will be a hue and cry from faculty, alumni, etc.

 

The university is caught in a severe financial emergency.

 

 

Every single public university with the exception of OSU and Cincinnati are in the same financial trouble.

Edited June 15, 2024 by Hilltopper

[egregiousbob]

Not even remotely true.  First of all, financial strength and enrollment are two separate issues.  Unfortunately, Akron is in crisis in both areas.  The Board of regents recently issued a report on the financial position of Ohio's state universities.  The strongest financially were OSU, Miami, Ohio University, BGSU, and Wright State, as I recall.  Cincinnati has a ton of debt but is not in crisis in any respect.

 

Strongest enrollment trends are at OSU, Cincinnati, OU, and BGSU.  OU has had record freshman classes in each of the past three years and is projecting additional growth this fall.  Worst enrollment trends are Akron, Toledo and Central State. 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2024 by egregiousbob

[UA1996MAENG]

On 6/15/2024 at 6:07 PM, egregiousbob said:

Not even remotely true.  First of all, financial strength and enrollment are two separate issues.  Unfortunately, Akron is in crisis in both areas.  The Board of regents recently issued a report on the financial position of Ohio's state universities.  The strongest financially were OSU, Miami, Ohio University, BGSU, and Wright State, as I recall.  Cincinnati has a ton of debt but is not in crisis in any respect.

 

Strongest enrollment trends are at OSU, Cincinnati, OU, and BGSU.  OU has had record freshman classes in each of the past three years and is projecting additional growth this fall.  Worst enrollment trends are Akron, Toledo and Central State. 

 

 

You are correct. I'd add that the fate of the UA is tied directly to the fate or circumstance of the City of Akron. I live in central Ohio suburbia, which is prime territory for college-viable teenagers (my son is a UA student), and every mass shooting and crime report out of Akron scares off parents. I've heard it every time we talk with neighbors and friends about "where Johnny and Suzy have applied for the fall..."  Kent and BGSU win by default, regardless of how much UA has to offer. I don't think even Youngstown has the "scare" factor of Akron at this moment (fair or not - perception is reality). I work, let's say, "adjacent" to the crimial justice system in central Ohio. By percent we have more kids from Akron in or system (140+ miles from Akron!) than from any other area in Ohio.  Akron is a mess, and I do not know how we fix that, but our alma mater is suffering because of this crime.  It's not the only issue, but it's certainly a big part of it.

[ZippyRulz]

http://www.usa.com/rank/ohio-state--crime-index--city-rank.htm?hl=&hlst=&wist=&yr=&dis=&sb=DESC&plow=&phigh=&ps=#google_vignette

 

Cincinnati and Columbus both have a higher crime index than Akron but don't seem to scare off parents. But those universities rank much higher than UA in the media guides. The next major investment campaign for UA must be in upgrading the faculty in order to draw in more students and research dollars. The Trustees are appointed by the governor for 9 year terms. Currently it's the DeWine & Kasich show.

 

https://www.uakron.edu/bot/index.dot

Principal Goal Statement

In 2019, the Board adopted a Principal Goal Statement.

The principal goal of The University of Akron Board of Trustees is to achieve sustainable financial stability within three to five years. To reach this goal, the Board is requesting the development of a strategic plan – led by the President and administration in conjunction with the full University community – which the Board will then consider and approve.
The plan is expected to contain the following elements:

Installing stable University leadership, including the president, executive vice president/chief academic officer and college deans

Attracting, retaining and graduating students into productive careers

Significantly increasing donations for student scholarships and endowed chairs

Increasing the perception of UA as a university of distinction and choice

Focusing research in areas of strength and opportunity

Working closely with regional business, community and political leaders to strengthen our local economy

Effectively managing expenses

 

 

Edited June 18, 2024 by ZippyRulz

[LAZipFan]

On Proenza, I love the guy.  Can you imagine how awful- and totally uncompetitive-- UA would be without the Landscape for Learning investment??  

[GP1]

9 hours ago, LAZipFan said:

On Proenza, I love the guy.  Can you imagine how awful- and totally uncompetitive-- UA would be without the Landscape for Learning investment??  

He was the right guy at the right time. He probably over spent some, but the University is better now than when I went to school and well positioned for the future. 

 

If I misremember this someone correct me.  I think last year the dorms were full for the first time in a while. This is a good sign. These kids transition to off campus housing at some point and that is also a good thing as long as the dorms stay full. 

 

I'm very bullish on the future of the University and the City of Akron. 

[ZipCat]

On 5/15/2024 at 2:25 PM, zippy5 said:

a lot of real world experience and not the typical academia type

 

An utterly insulting, misguided and utterly clueless statement.

[zippy5]

Hmm, sorry, professor.

[Reslife4Life]

On 8/3/2024 at 1:44 AM, LAZipFan said:

On Proenza, I love the guy.  Can you imagine how awful- and totally uncompetitive-- UA would be without the Landscape for Learning investment??  

One of the main reasons I chose UA in 2018 was how new and nice most of the campus was. If the union, rec, South/Spicer/Honors, CAS, and even the football stadium weren't built, I probably would not have chosen to go to UA. And I know for sure a lot of my friends had the same reasoning. Post covid I can't even imagine how UA would recover if it didn't have what the landscape for learning brought to campus. 

[ZipCat]

19 hours ago, zippy5 said:

Hmm, sorry, professor.

 

It's just annoying to continually hear people pour out a misguided take about how educators "aren't real". Especially when talking about a freaking University. It's braindead level stupid. The attack on educators and education has to stop. As if educators aren't somehow "real world" people. Just ridiculous.

[zippy5]

Sorry, call it "industry" experience and not "real world."

 

Tomato tomahto