Office of the President

Presidential Communication

September 25, 2025

Dear Rockets!

Happy Homecoming week, a time of great festivity and celebration as we welcome our alumni back to campus. Study and learning goes on. New discoveries are being made within our walls and across our campus. And our region is benefiting from the amazing healthcare opportunities we provide. All this happens as we enjoy the week’s events in anticipation of the Homecoming parade and football game against Akron this Saturday.

I had the pleasure of presenting to the UToledo Board of Trustees this week, along with executive vice presidents Mitchell McKinney, Provost; Charles Callahan, Health Affairs; and Matt Schroeder, Finance and Administration. We provided a summary of ongoing activities at the University, and asked for their approval and support on a number of substantive issues ranging from new curricula, including the state’s first online Master’s of Forensic Toxicology, to investments in our physical infrastructure (allowing us to finance improvements to buildings on our Main and Health Science Campuses).

One novel program of special significance is a scholarship for new undergraduate students from Michigan who enter UToledo as first-time students starting in Fall 2026. This scholarship will extend the long-running program we have offered for students from Monroe County, MI, to the entirety of our northern neighbor state, allowing new students from Michigan to attend UToledo at a rate equal to the in-state rate. Students receiving this scholarship will still be eligible for other merit-based aid as well.

I also shared with the Trustees the importance of building stability and a strong leadership team. To that end, I have appointed Katie DeBenedictis as Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. I’ve been impressed with her skills and dedication, and have been happy to receive her sound counsel. In this new role, she will oversee government relations and board operations for both the UToledo Board of Trustees and UToledo Health Board. Additionally, she will work collaboratively with academic, administrative and external partners and provide leadership in support of UToledo’s mission while advancing strategic initiatives leading to improved institutional performance. Please join me in thanking and congratulating Katie.

Finally, I shared with our Trustees some information on the value proposition of UToledo. As an R1 research university, we provide learning in an environment where knowledge is always being renewed. There are only seven such R1 universities in the state, and of these, UToledo has the lowest net price (cost of attendance minus aid). At the same time, UToledo is top four among the 13 undergraduate-serving public universities for income earned by graduates upon graduation. Our retention and graduation rates are also at record highs. UToledo truly provides a great value to our students as they pursue their professional and personal aspirations.

As a metropolitan research university and academic medical center located in a great center of manufacturing and agricultural productivity, The University of Toledo is focused on the practical and professional post-graduation success of our learners. Indeed, we help our students embrace their Power To Do all that they aim to achieve.

I’m looking forward to enjoying all the moments this weekend with our campus community!

Go Rockets!

  

James Paul Holloway, Ph.D.
President
The University of Toledo