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�鶹ԭ�� held its State of the University Address on Wednesday, January 10, where university president DeRionne Pollard and other �鶹ԭ�� State leadership delivered remarks about the progress of the institution and looking ahead to what’s to come in 2024.

As part of the State of the University address, Dr. Pollard acknowledged �鶹ԭ�� State’s incredible strides in advancing key pillars of the 2020-2025 strategic plan in 2023, and the institution’s efforts to continue to work to achieve these objectives in 2024.

Recent achievements and advancements included:

• �鶹ԭ�� State Library No-Cost Textbook Initiative reached a milestone of saving students over $1.5 million in textbook costs.
• The Speech Language Pathology graduate program received its accreditation from the (CAA) in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
• The School of Nursing launched its first night shift cohort, and produced more RN to BSN degrees than the rest of the state combined – and their 2023 NCLEX-RN pass rate of 92.17% exceeds the 2023 national pass rate of 89%.
• The Leadership Academy celebrated the completion of its first-ever cohort, strengthening workforce readiness and partnerships in the state.

This address also comes on the heels of the institution’s recent renaming to �鶹ԭ�� in the summer of 2023. The change was signed into law by Governor Joe Lombardo on July 1, 2023, and was unanimously approved by the �鶹ԭ�� Board of Regents.

“In just our first year officially as a University, we’ve taken great strides to be every bit deserving of the term,” said President Pollard. “We had our second-largest incoming freshman class, earned accreditation for our Speech-Language Pathology graduate program, announced millions of dollars in new program funding, and increased services for our ‘New Majority’ – students of color, first-generation students, adult learners, and anyone looking for the opportunity to lift themselves and their family out of poverty. In 2024, �鶹ԭ�� State will continue to be a leader in higher education and solving workforce shortages here in the state.”

President Pollard also laid out goals for the institution in 2024, including developing greater models to serve adult learners/non-traditional students, expanding degree offerings to meet regional workforce needs, and exploring the possibility of building up an athletics department. President Pollard emphasized that �鶹ԭ�� State is on a journey of becoming, and continuing to reach new heights throughout its nearly 21 year history as a higher education institution.

“Becoming is an act of evolution and revolution—perhaps even an act of resistance in the most uncertain of times,” said President Pollard. “This is true of an institution, too. And it is most certainly true for our institution. We are able to appreciate where we are today, and we are also able to appreciate the journey that brought us here.”

Additional remarks were made by regent Amy Carvalho, �鶹ԭ�� State Student Alliance president Kevin Osorio Hernandez and School of Education student Lesly Arias.

To watch the recorded livestream of the State of the University, visit: /stateoftheuniversity/