State of the University 2025

We take great pride at Oakland University for being a campus community where every person belongs, where our focus is on preparing students for successful careers, productive lives, where our faculty are deeply engaged in teaching and research, where our staff feels they have arrived at a place where their career dreams come true, and where we and our communities feel a deep partnership in shaping the prospects and promise of the future. Every academic year presents challenges, and this year is no different except this year, there is an unprecedented urgency for institutions of higher learning to make their case. Universities and colleges are confronting financial, operational and political challenges. Now is the time to prove our intrinsic value to students, our communities, and as a positive influence in sustaining a Civil Society. Our value as an institution of higher education is measured in many ways. Oakland University's economic footprint, for example, translates into a $1.9 billion impact on the region. That economic activity translates into tax revenue of $316.4 million, which is more than four times the state allocation to the university. Furthermore, the university invested $326 million in operations and created nearly 6,500 jobs. Oakland Graduates contribute greatly to the region and state. There are nearly 100,000 Oakland Graduates in Michigan, and collectively, their earnings in 2024 amounted to $5.9 billion, and the OU alumni median earnings are 9% higher than peer college alumni and 27% more than Michigan college alumni. Oakland is the leading brain gain university in the state and the major talent pipeline in the region. Nearly 92% of our students are from Michigan, and of those who graduate and are employed, more than 95% work in the state of Michigan. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal released its annual college rankings. Of the state's 15 public universities, Oakland ranked second for social mobility and nationally, among the top 16% of all universities. In addition, Oakland is the fourth best for value and has the fourth best salaries among the state's public universities. Since February, Department of Education policies have aimed to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. It has always been our practice to conduct open discussions about university policies. Oakland categorically renounces all forms of discrimination. In a time of anxiety and uncertainty, we affirm our commitment to academic freedom and the First Amendment, along with all forms of freedom of expression.

Further, we are committed to supporting civil discourse, fostering an educated citizenry, and working in partnership with our communities to be an engine of opportunity and upward mobility. At the heart of our endeavor is trust, trust based upon open and thriving relationships, including an alliance with our faculty, in a true spirit of shared governance, passionate support for our students and guidance as they master fundamental academic concepts and gain real world experiences that reshape their lives and set them on a course for a lifetime of achievement. At the core of our enterprise is a partnership with our communities that reinforces Oakland's commitment to educational engagement that elevates economic prospects and improves the quality of life for all residents. Sweeping changes are transforming every facet of American life and of higher education. These fundamental changes are the consequences of technological advances, rising costs, post COVID teaching and learning changes, declining enrollment, unpredictable public funding, and partisanship that is politicizing the mission, independence, and operations of colleges and universities. The Oakland Leadership Team in collaboration with more than 150 faculty and staff, have charted a strategic path to help us navigate our way through the uncertainties of the decade and beyond. Strategic Vision 2030 presents five interrelated paths leading to the future, including our people, student success, discovery, being stewards of place, and becoming a sustainable university. This fall, we are making strides to implement the initiatives, including a deeper commitment to a healthy campus and doing all we can for our community's mental health. A review of an employee survey, so we can address issues and enhance our work setting, integrating the recommendations of OU's AI task force, taking the next steps in the OU pledge, which guarantees an experiential learning opportunity to every student. Aligning and integrating the innovative advances of academic affairs with the goals of our university, embarking on a competition to bring public art to the university, along with the introduction of a new competitive grant to be awarded to faculty who are finding ways to address real world problems in our communities. Furthermore, there have been impressive additions and enhancements to campus.

Notably, South Foundation Hall opened last September as the gateway to our campus. In the past week, we had a ribbon cutting and naming for the new practice facility for the OU Basketball Program, and I am just so excited to announce the renaming of the Honors College, thanks to an extraordinary gift. The Honors College will now be known as the Donna and Walt Young Honors College. We've achieved so much, and there's so much more to talk about. For an in depth review of the state of Oakland University, please go to the president's webpage where you can download a PDF report.

You'll find the major achievements of the past year and a list of what lies ahead. Now, let's meet several students and hear why they feel a sense of belonging at Oakland.

I belong to Oakland because I want a prominent future, and my degree will give me that.

Because it's got that big school opportunities. There's tons of people here, tons of people to meet, but you still feel like a small family. Because it gives me the leadership opportunities I need to succeed in the future. I belong at Oakland University because the mentorship I've gotten from my professors has been life changing.

I belong to Oakland because it's a place where you can grow individually and academically.

I belong to Oakland because I feel this campus is not too big but not too small. It's helped me find my own independence, while not being far from my own family.

I belong at Oakland because it is an amazing campus. It is so diverse and you can fit in with everyone.

There's a huge diversity group here, which I absolutely love.

I'm an international student, and the ISSO was so welcoming to me and threw us all a banquet and I feel really like I'm part of the school.

Everybody is so welcoming and it is just an amazing campus. [MUSIC]

Higher education is the means for progress and civility. At this critical time in our nation's history, we must effectively make the case that the health of higher education and the health of our democracy are one and the same. We must strive to build a campus, a community, and a nation where everyone feels like they belong. It can and will happen. At Oakland University, we are committed to elevating the role of education as an essential path for building a more inclusive and just world where opportunity thrives. Working together, believing in each other, while always keeping our values in mind, I have no doubt we will succeed.