A Message from the President

What a year this has been! I can hardly believe that June 1 marked my first anniversary as president of Cleveland State University. Each day, my respect for our students, faculty and staff grows, and I gain a deeper understanding of CSU’s impact on individual lives and on the future of Northeast Ohio.

I cannot say it enough – I am honored and humbled to serve as chief cheerleader of this great university.

This issue of Cleveland State highlights several first-year achievements, including seven strategic priorities to guide CSU into the future, produced in collaboration with the campus community.

We also announced new initiatives to further support student success, including Cleveland’s selection as the nation’s fourth Say Yes to Education city. Eligible students in the Cleveland Metropolitan Schools will receive scholarships toward tuition for postsecondary education. We know many of them will attend CSU.

Complementing Say Yes, a major investment from our long-standing corporate partner will create the Parker Hannifin Living and Learning Community at CSU for students graduating from the Cleveland schools.

We also have new partnerships with Cuyahoga Community College and Lorain County Community College. Both programs provide students dual admission at CSU and these schools, creating a cost-effective and time-efficient pathway to a four-year degree.

We are proud to introduce Cleveland State Global, a new public-private partnership that will connect undergraduate and graduate international students to our unique brand of Engaged Learning and real-world experiences with Cleveland’s business community.

We are all about student success. It drives everything we do. Our strategic priorities and new initiatives reinforce CSU’s reputation as a cost-value leader and help students graduate in a timely manner with the skills and knowledge needed for career success.

Approximately 4,000 students graduate every year from CSU – and 80 percent of them choose to remain in Northeast Ohio to pursue their careers, raise their families, and give back to the community. These graduates are our greatest success story.

Let’s continue to take CSU and our students Forward Together.

Harlan M. Sands, J.D., M.B.A.
President, Cleveland State University