Concluding the 2025–26 Academic Year

May 12, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

The time has come to wind down the semester and bid farewell to another academic year. To those of you who attended our Commencement ceremonies last weekend, either to participate or to coordinate the many tasks behind the scenes, thank you for making this past weekend a special one for so many members of our community. Based on my interactions with our graduates, they felt both appreciated and excited for what is ahead. And their family members and friends in attendance enjoyed their time on our campus, feeling welcomed and well hosted. Overall, it was a weekend of activity that celebrated our graduates, and I am sure our upcoming College of Law commencement will continue that same positive energy.

This summer, we will advance several key initiatives that began this academic year. For instance, Fenn Tower will re-open in time for us to welcome students to this iconic and beautifully refreshed residence hall. I look forward to welcoming our excited incoming students as they move into their rooms in August.

Implementation of CSU Compass will also continue over the summer. As you know, this technology transformation will bring offices and university operations together through a single, integrated enterprise software, resulting in a smoother, more accurate and more efficient experience for our students and our employees. CSU Compass is a multi-year process, and following our kick-off event this spring, our finance and HR colleagues have been immersed in this transformation (with student support services and academic systems to follow in the months ahead). This work is intense and time-consuming for many of our colleagues who engage with these systems daily. When you have the opportunity, please thank the staff in HR, University Finance and IS&T for their efforts.

In addition, our planning committee for TEDxClevelandStateUniversity will be hard at work preparing for the fall event. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to mark your calendars for Friday, Oct. 23. We anticipate that hundreds of visitors will join us on campus for an engaging and inspirational day. This summer, the planning committee will be reviewing applications and selecting our panel of speakers, who will focus their remarks on the theme of “Untangling Wonder.” As stated on our TEDx webpage:

Untangling Wonder invites the community to step into the unknown with curiosity, courage and imagination. It reflects CSU’s commitment to push the boundaries of knowledge, discovery, innovation and creativity. 

The 2025-26 academic year was a time of great progress for our Cleveland State United strategic goals, and already 2026-27 is looking to be a banner year as we continue to focus on enhancing students’ CSU experience and expanding opportunities.

Finally, as we head into these beautifully sunny summer months, I share with you some advice I gave to our graduating students at Commencement: 

Choose optimism. After all, what’s the point of persisting if you don’t believe things will get better? Optimism isn't just a feeling — it’s a mindset and a behavior.

Pessimists can get ground down by failure and blame. Optimists ‘get on with it.’ They see the path forward, because they believe there is one…choosing optimism is a powerful force in our lives and in our communities.

Amidst all the summer activity on campus and in your own personal lives, I hope you are able to find time to rest and relax. I am so thankful for all you do for our students and the communities we serve.

With gratitude,

Laura Bloomberg, PhD
President