Dear alumni and friends,

The University of Dayton is on the move.

For the first time, UD is being recognized as a top-tier national university. UD has broken into the top 100 national universities in U.S. News and World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges” issue. UD jumped to seventh place among national Catholic universities.

I attribute the University of Dayton’s rapidly growing national reputation to your help in supporting our aspirations and telling our story of academic excellence across the country. It’s a simple, yet powerful, story rooted in faith and a historic mission that has never wavered with the times.

The University of Dayton has evolved into one of the most forward-thinking, technology-rich schools in the country by providing a one-of-a-kind, challenging education shaped by the Marianist tradition. We seek to embrace diversity and provide a welcoming environment for all. At the same time, we challenge students to forever link their learning to lives of leadership and service. A University of Dayton education doesn’t just shape minds. It shapes lives.

As I begin my third year as president of the University of Dayton, I am heartened by powerful signs of momentum on campus. Consider:

• Value in the marketplace. We received record applications for this fall’s first-year class and welcomed 1,828 new students. The School of Law enrolled its largest first-year class in its history after enjoying an application surge higher than the national average.
   
• National recognition. Aparna Higgins just received the Mathematical Association of America’s most prestigious award for teaching.
   
• Record research. The University of Dayton Research Institute attracted a record $65 million in sponsored research last year and continues to rank second in the nation in the amount of materials research performed annually, according to the National Science Foundation. We’ve hired Liming Dai, a world-class scholar and researcher, to fill the $3 million Wright Brothers Institute Endowed Chair in Nanomaterials and guide the Dayton region’s research in the promising field of nanotechnology.
   
• Integrity in athletics. The University of Dayton has been certified again by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as an institution committed to integrity, equity and rules compliance in its athletics program.
   
• Strong giving. Philanthropic support from alumni and friends totalled nearly $24 million, up more than $3.5 million over last year. Among Catholic national universities, only the University of Notre Dame and Georgetown University boast a higher average alumni giving rate.
   
• Vibrant living-learning environment. This fall, we opened Marianist Hall and ArtStreet — models for modern campus housing because they blur the line between living and learning. Construction has started on RecPlex, a modern fitness and recreation complex. Near the University of Dayton Arena, construction continues to progress on the Time Warner Cable Baseball Stadium. A practice facility to serve both the football and track and field teams was completed this summer. Across from the baseball stadium, construction of a new softball field is under way. At the same time, we’re working with NCR to finalize the purchase of property that will allow for campus expansion well into the 21st century.
   
• Global outreach. The University of Dayton will be the first American university to offer graduate education to employees of 50 Fortune 500 companies in the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park. The School of Law has partnered with Nanjing University to establish a graduate exchange program in intellectual property and technology law. In 2006, between 50 and 100 engineering technology students from Shanghai Normal University will transfer to UD for their senior year. It’s all part of a strategy to diversify the campus and aggressively market graduate education — a growth area in the future.

I will work with administrators and faculty this year to craft a new long-range strategic plan called A Vision of Excellence. We will use it as a platform to expand the University of Dayton's reputation as a Catholic leader in higher education, extend our reach globally and improve diversity on campus.

As I travel around the country meeting alumni and friends, I will share our thoughts and invite your input. Together, we can shape the future of the University of Dayton — and raise our reputation to even greater heights. Thank you for your part in the University of Dayton’s unfolding story and your belief in our educational mission.

I wish you and your family all of God’s blessings.

Sincerely,

Daniel J. Curran, Ph.D.
President