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Office of the President

Ora Hirsch Pescovitz

President

Ora Hirsch Pescovitz HeadshotAt Oakland University, we are proud to be among the most inclusive and welcoming college campuses in the region, and country.

An OU educational experience is distinguished by a range of opportunities for “hands on” learning, one-on-one engagement with our talented faculty, and a supportive campus culture.

We take great pride in focusing on programs and services that foster student success; timely and practical research; partnerships with communities that have a measurable and transformative impact; and, creating a culture that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion.

Among our top priorities is for an OU education to be affordable and accessible to students from diverse social and economic backgrounds. In September, The Wall Street Journal assessment of the best colleges in America ranked OU as the “best value for investment” among our peer institutions.

Located in metropolitan Detroit’s northern suburbs, OU is situated on 1,500 park-like acres of ecological diversity, and in a region of breathtaking lakes, streams and preservation of land. Along with being positioned in an inspiring natural environment, OU maintains exceptional relationships with a range of corporate and industry neighbors. Those key relationships translate into an array of internships and career opportunities whereby students readily realize the value of their “education investment.”

A major point of pride is that OU graduates are the “talent backbone” of the region. Their work and leadership are shaping the region’s economic future.

Come visit us, and learn more about the Golden Grizzly experience. I know you’ll be inspired to imagine the possibilities of your career and life.

Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D. President

Transcript

>> Thank you and welcome to the State of the University Address. We're gathering at a time of great excitement, a time of reflection, and a time of promise. The signs of renewal are all around us. But before I share some of these positive signs, first, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge our very talented musicians. Please give them a round of applause. [APPLAUSE] 

Please join me also in welcoming our trustees, Chair, Bobby Schostak, David Kramer, and Colleen Ochoa Peters. Thank you very much. 

[APPLAUSE] 

We also have several very special guests who are here with us today. Please welcome alum and Rochester Hills Mayor, Bryan Barnett. [APPLAUSE] Maria, thanks for being here too. 

Pontiac Deputy Mayor, Khalfani Stephens, that's a promotion. [LAUGHTER] [APPLAUSE] 

We're also very grateful to have with us from OU Pontiac initiative core members, Pastor Douglas Jones and Dr. Tom Kimball. [APPLAUSE] 

A special welcome to the 2023 distinguished alum recipient, Dr. Robert Gordon. 

[APPLAUSE] 

We also have a number of our advisory board members who are also here in attendance. 

Thank you also for being with us. [APPLAUSE] 

You don't have to clap for everyone or else we'll be here all day. 

[LAUGHTER] Please join me also in showing appreciation to our leadership team, the Oakland University cabinet members, deans, and members of our strategy council. Thank you also to our staff and faculty who are here in attendance in person, and those of you who are watching via streaming here for the State of the University. A special thank you to Dean Elaine Carey for hosting us here for the State of the University here in Varner Hall. Also, I'd like to acknowledge several very special guests from Oakland University's charter class, which is celebrating its 60th reunion this year with a dinner at Meadow Brook Hall later this evening. We've been through a lot together during the last several years. Since navigating the pandemic and after a few years of enrollment declines, we are just so encouraged by the current trend. Enrollment has now stabilized and stands at nearly 16,000. Students, faculty, and staff are back on campus with an excitement that we haven't seen in several years. Our financial position has stabilized as the result of difficult budget reductions throughout the university and our financial outlook has improved as the result of our state advocacy efforts. Our efforts have led to an increase in state appropriations floor funding that benefited Oakland and also several other universities. In 2020, we began our Strive for 45 campaign and I feel a deep sense of accomplishment that Oakland, all of us surpassed our goal. For Oakland, the success of Strive for 45 translates into an additional state appropriation of $11.5 million in fiscal year 2024. This is an overall unprecedented level of state funding. Thank you to Governor Whitmer for her leadership, and special thanks to higher education appropriation subcommittee chairs, representative Samantha Steckloff, and Senator Sean McCann for their passionate support of higher education. Thank you to our vice president of government relations, Rochelle Black for her hardworking team. Thank you also to our trustees and to so many of you who were an integral part of our successful advocacy efforts. As a special demonstration of our appreciation and to acknowledge your passionate commitment to our university, in July, we implemented a 4% increase in staff pay and bonuses to our faculty. We also increased the hourly wage to $15 for undergraduate and master's degree student workers, and we increased the hourly wage for doctoral graduate assistance to $25 per hour. [NOISE] Please know that we appreciate you for all that you do for Oakland. You are the backbone of our university. In the past few weeks, we have been especially encouraged by the findings of a Wall Street Journal assessment of the best colleges in America. The survey ranks Oakland as the highest among our peers in Michigan. Oakland is also ranked as the best value for investment among our peer institutions. Furthermore, Oakland ranks first among public universities in Michigan for enhancing students' social mobility. We are ranked second after only the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for preparing students for careers. While the Wall Street Journal affirms [NOISE] our current approach, we must be mindful of emerging trends in higher education, including a decreasing number of high school graduates, increasing demand for online hybrid learning, and the need to be responsive to students' mental health and well-being. Further trends in higher education include improving students' career readiness, integrating AI, virtual reality, and augmented reality into the educational experience, and confronting skepticism about the value of a college degree. But we are committed to understanding the implication of these trends and acting strategically so we can understand the impact on retention and graduation rates. Under the excellent leadership of Provost Britt Rios-Ellis, we are applying data from an award winning student success and equity dashboard to critically understand how we can best support students on their path to graduation. Academic affairs is piloting several innovative initiatives to mitigate equity gaps and we're pleased to report that our one-year retention rate for underrepresented minority students increased by 5% this year, and the gap between URM and non-URM students was reduced by 5%. Thank you to our deans, chairs, and faculty for leading this effort to assess gateway courses in various units that are critical to improving student retention. 

We are so deeply appreciative of the work of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for their focus on high-impact practices. While there is work to be done throughout the university, I'm very proud to report that we have a clear focus on our priorities. This academic year, our top priorities include improving student success and increasing student retention. Being a student ready campus, and understanding