Contributed

University of Cincinnati President Neville G. Pinto released the following letter to media, staff and students, following the future of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs that also apply to universities and other educational institutions that accept federal funding:

Dear UC Community,

I write to you today to share some challenging truths about the future of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the University of Cincinnati. As you are no doubt aware, the federal government has effectively outlawed DEI programs and practices within government entities, including public universities nationwide.

If you haven’t already, please take the time to read President Trump’s Executive Order 14173 from January 21 as well as the February 14 “Dear Colleague” letter from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which calls for the elimination of DEI in higher education.

Taken together, these federal actions are sweeping in their scope, categorical in their conclusions and pressing in their timing. The OCR letter specifically states that we must comply with these new rules by February 28, after which OCR will begin holding noncompliant universities accountable.

In response to these mandates, Provost Kristi Nelson and I spent this week informing our deans and vice presidents of the initial steps we must take to ensure compliance. We also met with Faculty Senate Cabinet to inform them of the implications of these developments. Our message to them — and to you — is this: Given the extent to which our university, like most educational institutions, relies on federal funding to deliver and sustain our core mission, it is untenable to operate as if noncompliance with these directives is an effective option. In addition, Ohio’s 136th General Assembly is in the process of fast-tracking Senate Bill 1, which, in its current form, reinforces federal DEI prohibitions.

Given this new landscape, Ohio public and federally supported institutions like ours have little choice but to follow the laws that govern us. Meanwhile, we will continue to work through our state and federal Government Relations channels to encourage legislators to support policies that honor the mission of public higher education, which is so essential for the development of citizens for our democracy.

What does all of this mean for UC as of today?

Our leaders have begun evaluating jobs and duties related to DEI and examining our DEI programming, initiatives and projects to bring all areas into compliance. In addition, we have begun removing references to DEI principles across university websites, social media and collateral materials. This will be a heavy lift, and I am thankful for our university leaders and their teams who grasp what is at stake in this moment. We must approach this process with the thoughtfulness and thoroughness that such complex comprehensive endeavors entail, while always keeping the well-being of the people most affected at the heart of our efforts.

I recognize that these decisions are weighty, and these actions are a departure from decades of established practice within academic communities. I also continue to ask for your patience and understanding as we do the hard work that will be required to unwind many years of DEI efforts under an extremely compressed timeline.

We are committed to meet both our compliance obligations and our mission to provide a supportive learning and working environment where all are welcome, safe and free to be successful. Indeed, there remain many unanswered questions, and we are working diligently to arrive at answers. As we move forward, we will share updates as information becomes available.

Sincerely,
Neville G Pinto

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By Julia Mace, UC Foundation

    Benya Coleman, A&S ’26, and Silas Curry, CECH ’27, say that without the support of the Marian Spencer Scholars Program, they would not be enrolled at the University of Cincinnati.

     Minutes away on the UC Health campus, nurse practitioners, therapists, nutritionists and social workers at the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute improve the lives of patients with ALS and provide multidisciplinary personalized care.

    What these students and patients have in common is they were supported by donors to Next, Now: The Campaign for Cincinnati. The University of Cincinnati Foundation’s fundraising campaign for UC and UC Health officially ended in June, having raised $2.19 billion in overall donor support.

    The campaign was launched publicly in 2019 in conjunction with the university’s Bicentennial year.

Scholarships transform lives: Campaign donors provided paths to student success by creating 793 new scholarship and fellowship funds during the life of Next, Now. This includes the Marian Spencer Scholars, a program that provides 10 Cincinnati Public School graduates a year with full UC tuition, room and board, and additional resources and experiences. The program is in its third year, and there are currently 30 Spencer Scholars.

    “I would not have been in college without the scholarship,” Coleman says. “I’m able to become a doctor, which is my dream career. I am beyond thankful, and I hope in the future I can do something like this for someone else.”

     During the campaign, the university received the largest donation to scholarships in its 200-plus-year history from the estate of Hugh H. Hoffman, MBA ’63. Hoffman’s $56 million estate gift created the Hoffman Honors Scholars program across three undergraduate colleges and will also provide support for UC student-athletes. The inaugural cohort of 12 Hoffman Honors Scholars will begin in the 2024-2025 academic year.

During the life of the Next, Now campaign, 37,287 unique donors contributed to scholarship funds at UC.

Hoffman estate supports UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute ALS patients.

    The Hoffman estate also gave $13.5 million that will revolutionize research and patient care related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic at the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute.

    This gift will impact nearly 200 patients in the Tri-State region each year. Since the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute opened its standalone outpatient facility in 2019, clinicians have provided care for more than 80,000 patients across 1,800 United States zip codes.

    “ALS care at UC continues to grow in scope of care and research opportunities,” says Robert Neel, MD ’00, a specialist in ALS and autoimmune neuromuscular disorders and director of the ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic. “The Hoffman gift has opened new research doors already, and we have recently hired our dietician and counselor to help with care. Both are scheduling patients. I have never been so excited to be in this field.”

     Evolving student and patient spaces: UC’s campus has transformed since the Next, Now launch. The College of Allied Health Sciences, Carl H. Lindner College of Business and College of Law have new student-focused spaces and buildings. The list of new facilities includes Clifton Court Hall, the university’s largest classroom building, serving the College of Arts and Sciences.

    Donors also supported new facilities, patient care initiatives and research at UC Health, Greater Cincinnati’s academic health care system. Philanthropic investments allowed for the construction of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute’s new outpatient facility as well as renovation of the inpatient Neuroscience ICU and construction of a new state-of-the-art emergency department at UC Medical Center.

     The new University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Blood Cancer Healing Center, also powered by philanthropy, hosts 30 inpatient beds, outpatient clinics, 24-hour symptom support, infusion therapies, stem cell and cellular therapies and 40-plus clinical trials.

     Faculty research and scholarly innovation: Through the campaign, donors invested in research, innovation and the work of UC faculty members. This includes creating 33 new chairs and professorships to recruit and retain faculty excellence; 29 of these positions were endowed.

    Other gifts expanded new lines of research into areas like cancer treatment. A collaboration between BSI Engineering and the nonprofit GIVEHOPE created a pilot grant program for research at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center. These pilot research grants, awarded annually to investigators studying the causes, disease path and treatment for pancreatic cancer, are now a key pipeline for early-stage research that can lead to national funding and clinical trials.

    This philanthropic partnership has made it possible for nine faculty researchers to launch 18 new studies into the causes and treatments of cancer.

     A new era for UC Athletics: Donors propelled UC Athletics forward at the start of the campaign by funding renovations at Nippert Stadium and Fifth Third Arena. The Day One Ready campaign supported UC’s more than 450 student-athletes as part of the university’s move to the Big 12.

    UC Athletics celebrated the largest gift in its history from Larry and Rhonda Sheakley, spearheading the multimillion-dollar Indoor Practice Facility and Performance Center. This facility will feature a 120-yard field, nutrition station, weight room and sports medicine offices, among other amenities. It will be the permanent, all-weather home for UC football to train year-round, and a versatile practice facility for other UC sports.

    The upgraded men’s and women’s basketball team facilities at Fifth Third Arena, including locker room enhancements, were funded entirely by donors.

     The generosity of Bearcat supporters established student-wellness initiatives involving access to mental health services and additional registered dieticians.

     Donors supporting the Women’s Excellence Fund immediately impacted female student-athletes by increasing each team’s nutrition budget, recovery tools, special equipment and facilities.

    Additional campaign facts:

• 165,378 donors gave to the campaign.
• Donors were from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and 49 countries.
• 92.3% of gifts were under $1,000.

    The Foundation’s previous campaign, Proudly Cincinnati, raised $1.1 billion by its June 30, 2013, close.

    Neville G. Pinto, President, University of Cincinnati, said: “Our Bearcat family of donors and alumni has made a vast impact by supporting our students through scholarships, soaring new spaces, and life-altering opportunities for our student-athletes. This benevolent partnership has positioned us as we embark on the next 200 years of UC greatness.”

    O. Richard Bundy, III, President, University of Cincinnati Foundation: “Our donors have demonstrated a commitment to excellence, ensuring that no one has to leave Cincinnati to receive the best possible education or world-class health care. Their generosity has allowed us to break through to the next level in academics, athletics, research, technology, innovation and culture.”

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By: Zac Swain

PARIS – Cincinnati alumna Annette Echikunwoke secured silver in the women’s hammer throw at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. She is the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the hammer throw.

“It’s such a great honor,” Echikunwoke said about winning the silver medal. “All I can do in my heart is to be so grateful to god for putting me in this situation, quite honestly. I’m so excited and grateful that I get to bring this home for Team USA and to be the first (USA women’s hammer medal winner) is pretty insane. Something that will go down in history. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

Echikunwoke tossed a season-best 75.48m on her third attempt, just shy of her career-best 75.49m, that she recorded at the USATF Throws Fest in 2021.

She becomes the third Bearcat to win an Olympic medal in track and field, joining Mary Wineberg (gold, 4×400 relay) and David Payne (silver, 110m hurdles).

Canada’s Camryn Rogers claimed gold with a throw of 76.48m while China’s Jie Zaho took bronze with a throw of 74.27m.

Heading into the final three throws, after four competitors were eliminated, Echikunwoke led the field with her silver-winning toss, before Rogers took the lead on her fifth attempt.  

Rodgers and Echikunwoke are familiar with each other, the two Olympic athletes competed against each other in 2022 at the Commonwealth Games, where Rodgers claimed gold and Echikunwoke took 12th.

Echikunwoke is one of the most decorated female athletes in UC history. She won the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships national title in the weight throw and remains the school record holder in four of the five throwing events she competed in at UC. She was a seven-time AAC Champion and a four-time All-America First Team honoree.

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