President Pinto: Celebrating the UC community as we begin our 205th year

We have much to celebrate, including the recent reopening of Siddall Hall, which includes 12 floors of completely renovated and reimagined housing for incoming students. We’re again expecting record enrollment that will eclipse 52,000, and our investments in housing will provide ample rooms to meet the demand.

We are also acknowledging some exciting achievements in research, with the latest figures from the National Science Foundation revealing that UC scholars outpaced our highest-ever research expenditures with nearly $700 million (including affiliates). These investments come to life in ways that are vitally important to our society. As one example, consider the recently highlighted work of Environmental Health Professor Susan Pinney on the impact of forever chemicals on the local water supply. This is just one example of how faculty are expanding the knowledge base through research. The latest annual figures reveal that UC researchers published a record 5,728 scholarly publications.

Our 1819 Innovation Hub continues to excel in leading our innovation agenda by serving as the front door for companies to connect to our campus and as the nexus for industry to meet UC talent and resources. Across the street in our Digital Futures building, 22 applied research labs are working daily on cutting-edge and collaborative discoveries aimed at solving problems that matter to our society. Both facilities are catalyzing the growth of the Cincinnati Innovation District.

Our co-op program also set new all-time highs. Last academic year, more than 8,300 students earned an estimated $88.8 million collectively through paid co-op experiences, an 18% increase over the previous year. For these students, co-op and the hands-on application of their classroom learning is transformative and, in many cases, allows them to cover the cost of their education.

Next month we will officially celebrate the successful culmination of our $2 billion Next, Now fundraising campaign, the university’s historic effort that launched publicly at the close of our bicentennial year in 2019. I’m so grateful to our many dedicated donors who have supported all that we do, including our entry into the Big 12 last year. On a related note, we recently thanked key athletics donors during a beam-raising ceremony to mark the progress of the Bearcats Indoor Practice Facility that will open in 2025.