UA Live

They are a distinctive part of a building that some would say is not particularly distinctive.

We’re talking about the black granite blocks on the side of Carroll Hall — the ones etched with the likenesses of the greats of poetry, literature and philosophy. For six decades now, these greats — Dante, Socrates, Shakespeare and others — have gazed down upon students as they scurried about the east side of campus.

Now that Carroll Hall is about to come down, plans are in the works to preserve the blocks. They will be carefully restored; then they’ll become part of Coleman Commons, a series of gardens, terraces and open spaces planned for the area between the Student Union and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are a few recent news-media stories about UA and its people that you may have missed:

• A front-page Akron Beacon Journal story on Sunday notes that the University is involved with local hospitals and NEOUCOM to bring an Orthopedic Research Institute to Akron.
• Associate history professor Gregory Wilson is the subject of an Akron Beacon Journal question-and-answer column.
• John Green, Bliss Institute director, is quoted in Saturday’s New York Times about evangelical Democrats.

Moody’s Investor Services has affirmed the University’s solid A2 credit rating as the University prepares to sell bonds to finance the second phase of the New Landscape for Learning initiative. UA’s rating, classified by Moody’s as “upper medium grade” with “low credit risk,” affects the University’s interest rate on borrowed funds.

The A2 rating is a very positive reflection of the University’s current financial position, according to Dr. John Case, UA’s vice president for finance and administration/CFO. In its evaluation, Moody’s cited the University’s strong enrollment growth (up 10 percent since 2004), its growth in revenue and fund-raising, its total financial resources and its sustained positive operating performance. Read the rest of this entry »

The University of Akron is continuing its successful fund-raising efforts after a record-breaking fiscal year 2006-07, the University’s Board of Trustees reported at its meeting Jan. 23.

The Board reported giving to the University for July through November 2007 totaled $21.5 million, 76 percent more than the $12.2 million received for the same period of 2006. The number of gifts increased 14.4 percent to 8,616 in July-November 2007, from a total of 7,531 for the same period in 2006. The trend continued into December 2007, closing the University’s highest-ever first half of a fiscal year at $26.4 million. Read the rest of this entry »