2017: The Year in Review by Cleveland State University - Cleveland State Stories
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2017: The Year in Review

Enjoy our year-end roundup of engaging highlights from the home of Engaged Learning!

Cleveland State University
By Cleveland State University

CSU welcomed a record-setting freshman class, dedicated Donald E. Washkewicz Hall and Campus International School and ranked among the top public universities in the U.S. for upward mobility and impactful research.

January 2017

Designed to enhance collaborative learning with a high-tech twist, the Rawson Learning Commons in the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law were made possible by a $500,000 gift from longtime CSU benefactors Judy and Robert Rawson.

For the third consecutive year, the Online Accelerated Master of Business Administration at CSU’s Monte Ahuja College of Business was ranked in the Top 50 nationally and No. 1 in Ohio by U.S. News & World Report.

Research led by CSU geneticist Valentin Börner shed new light on how cells actually function and could have major implications for our understanding of how errors in cellular development can lead to birth defects and cancer. Findings were published in the prestigious journal Science.

February 2017

The Pratt Center enhances educational opportunities at CSU for youth who have aged out of foster care. It's named in honor of the late Charleyse Pratt, founding director of CSU's Sullivan-Deckard Scholars Opportunity Program. The center was established with a $1 million gift from Barbara and Frank Sullivan.

Checkout the articles from Cleveland.com and Crain's Cleveland Business.

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A story in The Washington Post cited CSU's student success initiatives.

Mike Thomas was named athletic director.

March 2017

Students and others took to Twitter to talk with CSU President Ronald M. Berkman during his first Twitter chat.

CSU, University Hospitals and Cuyahoga Community College announced a new collaboration to establish a comprehensive workforce development pathway to proactively address the impending shortage of nurses in Northeast Ohio. See more about the collaboration on Cleveland.com and Crain's Business Cleveland.

Following the retirement of Gary Waters, who led the Vikings over 11 seasons to more wins than any other coach in the history of the men's basketball program, Dennis Felton was named the 15th head coach of the team:

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April 2017

CSU was the top-ranked Horizon League school in the Environmental Protection Agency's College & University Green Power Challenge:

Sanjay Putrevu was appointed dean of the Monte Ahuja College of Business. Cleveland.com covered the announcement.

The Vikings women's and men's golf teams won their respective Horizon League Championships. This was the first title for the women and the fourth consecutive title for the men:

May 2017

CSU held Spring Commencement on May 13. Check out the highlights.

At the seventh annual Radiance benefit for student scholarships, RadianceScholar Amanda Posey shared her story and Medical Mutual of Ohio Chairman, President and CEO Rick Chiricosta was awarded the President's Medal, CSU's highest nonacademic honor:

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CSU and Case Western Reserve University signed a memorandum of understanding for a new collaboration to expand research and educational opportunities related to the vast interconnected network of devices known as the internet of things:

Lee Fisher, former lieutenant governor of Ohio and attorney general of Ohio, was appointed dean of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Watch his interview with FOX 8.

Nigamanth Sridhar, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science in the Washkewicz College of Engineering and president of the CSU Faculty Senate, was appointed dean of the College of Graduate Studies:

Frederic Lahey was named inaugural director of the CSU School of Film & Digital Arts:

June 2017

CSU President Ronald M. Berkman, whose tenure has been marked by a commitment to student success, dramatic campus transformation and robust community partnerships, announced that he will retire in June 2018:

The inaugural Arts and Humanities Alive! Festival, presented by CSU in partnership with Playhouse Square and other community collaborators, brought luminaries from the worlds of literature, music, theater, dance and more to town. Check out the highlights here.

The College of Education and Human Services earned prestigious recognition from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation:

July 2017

Maurice Stinnett was named vice president for engagement and chief diversity officer:

CSU interns developed programming for Public Square in the heart of Cleveland:

August 2017

In a study by the Brookings Institution, CSU ranked No. 18 in the U.S. and No. 1 in Ohio among public universities that fulfill a critical dual mission: improving social mobility and conducting impactful research:

CSU welcomed 2,000 first-year students for the start of the 2017-2018 academic year, the largest freshman class in the University's history:

CSU was fully caught up in the excitement of the Great Solar Eclipse of 2017:

September 2017

Officials from CSU, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and the City of Cleveland were on hand to dedicate the new Campus International School, serving students in grades K-8. A collaboration between CSU and CMSD, the school is part of the Education Park on the University's campus:

ENGAGE: The Campaign for Cleveland State University was a huge success, exceeding its goal and finishing two years ahead of schedule. More than $114 million was raised, largely to benefit scholarships and student success programs:

A new CSU/Cleveland Clinic collaboration will offer enhanced access to bachelor’s degrees for working nurses and address the nursing shortage in Northeast Ohio. Cleveland.com covered the announcement.

October 2017

Vikings past and present descended on campus for a full slate of fun Homecoming 2017 activities:

Established to salute distinguished alumni, faculty, staff, friends and community leaders, the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Hall of Fame inducted its first class of honorees:

The Bonnie and Peter Raquet High Impact Learning Fund will support service learning, paid internships and study abroad opportunities for students in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences:

CSU received a five-year, $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to enhance the McNair Scholars Program, which seeks to increase the number of underrepresented minorities and first-generation college students pursuing doctorates in STEM disciplines:

November 2017

Joseph Mead, assistant professor in the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, and master of public administration candidate Marissa Pappas co-authored a New York Times op-ed on nuisance laws.

CSU students from near and far celebrated International Education Day:

The CSU volleyball team won its third straight Horizon League championship:

December 2017

President Ronald M. Berkman looked back on CSU highlights and looked to the future in the 2017 State of the University address:

"The Future of Public Higher Education in Ohio" was the focus of a City Club of Cleveland forum featuring President Berkman, University of Akron President Matthew Wilson and Cuyahoga Community College President Alex Johnson:

CSU dedicated Donald E. Washkewicz Hall, a state-of-the-art engineering facility made possible by a $20 million gift from Donald and Pamela Washkewicz and the Parker Hannifin Foundation. As part of the festivities, Donald and Pamela Washkewicz announced a new $1 million gift for the Washkewicz Scholars Program:

The new Weston Ideation Lab in the Monte Ahuja College of Business is designed to foster creative thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship:

CSU held Fall Commencement on December 17. Check out the highlights here.


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Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public, urban research university that provides a dynamic setting for Engaged Learning. With an enrollment of more than 17,000 students, 10 colleges and schools and more than 175 academic programs, CSU is listed among America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report.
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