2024 Year in Review

2024 Year in Review

From high-profile, federally funded research to on-campus celebrations, The University of Toledo was abuzz with activity in 2024.

UToledo, which maintained its status as one of the top universities in the country according to U.S. News and World Report, wrapped up major renovations to the engineering complex and announced an updated $300 million campus master plan that calls for a new welcome center and science building.

Toledo Athletics continued its positive momentum, capturing several conference titles and claiming its third straight Cartwright Award from the Mid-American Conference, which recognizes excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship.

UToledo brought the community to campus with a number of events, including a once-in-a-lifetime viewing party for the April 8 total solar eclipse.

And University faculty continued to leverage their research expertise, securing competitive grants to study solar energy, cancer, hypertension, Alzheimer's disease and more.

Here is a look back at some of the biggest UToledo stories of 2024.

January

• The University of Toledo Medical Center performed the first Aquablation procedure in northwest Ohio. The innovative and minimally invasive treatment option for enlarged prostate uses high-pressure water to relieve urinary symptoms while preserving sexual function.

• The UToledo Athletic Department announced the Leadership Fan Council, which gives fans a stronger voice and greater perspective into the operations of the department.

• UToledo and the city of Toledo honored Dr. Martin Luther King with the 23rd annual Unity Day Celebration. Rosa Alicia Clemente, an organizer, independent journalist, producer and scholar activist, was the keynote speaker at the virtual event.

• Black Thought, co-founder of the legendary band The Roots and a three-time Grammy Award winner, was among the featured speakers at the 40th annual Conference for Aspiring Minority Youth.

February

• The American Astronomical Society named Dr. Steven Federman, professor emeritus in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, among its newest class of Fellows for 2024.

• The United States Institute for Theatre Technology chose Holly Monsos, chair of the Department of Theatre and Film, as one its 2024 Fellows.

• The University of Toledo was ranked No. 115 in the U.S. News & World Report list of 2024 best online undergraduate programs, up 35 spots from the prior year.

• Dr. Anne Medling, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, was chosen by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement as a 2024 Cottrell Scholar. The annual awards recognize early-career teacher-scholars in chemistry, physics and astronomy.

• Dr. Ngalula Sandrine Mubenga, an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Technology, spoke at the United Nation's headquarters during the 9th International Day of Women and Girls Assembly.

• The Board of Trustees approved a resolution in support of an updated, $300 million campus master plan that includes plans for a new welcome center, a state-of-the-art science building and other campus upgrades.

• Leaders from UToledo, Toledo Public Schools and Owens Community College signed a letter of intent formalizing an agreement to work together on an initiative aimed at bringing new educational opportunities to the Scott Park Campus.

• The John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation hosted the ninth annual UToledo Invitational Sales Competition, drawing more than 100 sales students from 35 universities nationwide.

• The College of Engineering's award-winning Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, held in February and March, welcomed more than 750 seventh and eighth grade girls to campus.

• Dr. Michael Boyd, professor of piano, and Dr. Jon Elhai, professor of psychology, were named Distinguished University Professors, recognizing their achievements in teaching, research, scholarship and professional service.

• UToledo celebrated Black History month throughout February, with events that included a tour of the African American Legacy Project of Northwest Ohio with museum founder and director Robert Smith.

March

• The Rocket men's and women's basketball teams both claimed outright Mid-American Conference championships. It was the third straight title for the women and the fourth straight for the men.

• UToledo alumnus Fred Espenak - also known as Mr. Eclipse - shared stories from his 50 years of eclipse-viewing in the Doermann Distinguished Lecture and discussed what to expect during Toledo's upcoming solar eclipse.

• The National Science Foundation presented Kennedy Doro, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences, and Dr. Abbas Semnani, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, with Faculty Early Career Development Program awards. The five-year research awards are aimed at supporting early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education.

• Dr. Melissa Gregory was named permanent dean of the College of Arts and Letters following a national search. Gregory, who joined UToledo in 2002, had previously served as interim dean of the college.

• More than 160 fourth-year medical students matched into residency programs in 33 states. Celebrated at medical schools across the country, Match Day is one of the most anticipated moments for aspiring physicians.

• The seventh annual Rocket Forward Day of Giving raised more than $1.7 million from 2,460 donors through online donations and live event participation.

• UToledo researchers were awarded $1.2 million from the Ohio Department of Higher Education's Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative. The funding supports projects aimed at mitigating harmful algal blooms, guiding wetland restoration, studying technologies for water treatment systems, evaluating the effect of climate change on nutrient runoff, and studying the health effects of cyanotoxins produced during harmful algal blooms.

• More than 600 students took part in the annual Big Event, volunteering their time and skills at sites throughout the Toledo area. The Big Event is the largest, single-day student-run service project at UToledo.

April

• UTMC recognized national Donate Life Month, hosting a flag raising outside the hospital and honoring individuals who chose to become living kidney donors through UTMC at a banquet.

• The inaugural UToledo Healthcare Symposium in downtown Toledo, brought together healthcare and community leaders for a discussion on improving health through compassionate care, innovative thinking and community collaboration

• UToledo celebrated its 87th annual Songfest, with UToledo students dancing and singing to raise more than $20,000 for Sunshine Communities, a local nonprofit that aims to support people of all ages with developmental disabilities.

• UToledo announced a strategic realignment of colleges to bring closer together faculty and students engaged in similar academic programs for increased collaboration. The University plans to merge the College of Nursing and College of Health and Human Services into one college and to merge the College of Arts and Letters with the Judith Herb College of Education.

• UToledo hosted thousands of visitors at Glass Bowl Stadium and on Centennial Mall for the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse, which shrouded Toledo in partial darkness for nearly two minutes.

• U.S. News and World Report ranked 11 UToledo graduate programs among the best in the nation.

• For the first time, UToledo had multiple Goldwater Scholars in the same year. Sophia Durham, a sophomore studying biology, and Chloe Villa, a junior majoring in biochemistry, each received the prestigious award.

• The men's tennis team knocked off No. 1 seed Western Michigan in the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament to claim its second consecutive tournament crown, while the women's tennis team beat Miami to earn its first tournament championship.

• UToledo students celebrated the Hindu festival Holi with an event symbolizing the arrival of spring, the end of winter and the blossoming of love.

• Rockets cornerback Qyinyon Mitchell was selected No. 22 overall in the 2024 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, becoming the first Rocket taken in the first round in two decades.

• The College of Engineering held its annual Senior Design Expo. For the first time, the event was combined with a new Day of Research, highlighting additional student and faculty research activities in the college.

• Sheri Benton, a senior lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature; Dr. Claire Cohen, senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; and Michelle Davidson, senior lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature, were named Distinguished University Lecturers in recognition of their commitment to advancing student learning and facilitating and supporting student success.

• RocketFest featured a weeklong series of events and activities, including a bonfire, karaoke and stuff-a-plush as part of Student Appreciation Week.

• The UToledo Board of Trustees appointed Matt Schroeder interim president following the departure of Dr. Gregory Postel who accepted a position at University of Cincinnati. Schroeder previously served as executive vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer.

May

• Barend Botha secured his second straight conference title in men's golf, becoming the first to do so in more than 30 years.

• UToledo celebrated spring commencement conferring more than 2,500 degrees and graduate certificates throughout the weekend, including 189 doctoral, 558 master's, 1,507 bachelor's and 83 associate's degrees, as well as 112 juris doctors.

• UToledo Health celebrated its new, 37-foot-long mobile health unit. The custom-built vehicle has two exam rooms, a restroom and a small waiting room on board.

• UToledo and ProMedica Health System signed a new 10-year Academic Affiliation Agreement to support medical education in the greater Toledo community for the next decade.

• Dr. Natasha Johnson, an assistant professor in the Department of Education, is leading a $2.3 million initiative funded by the National Science Foundation's Robert Noyce Scholarship Program to support sixth through 12th grade science teachers in Ohio and Kentucky.

• UToledo became the first school to receive both the Jacoby Trophy as the top women's athletic program and the Reese Trophy as the top men's athletic program in the same year. UToledo has earned the Jacoby trophy for three straight years.

June

• UToledo and the University of Michigan were chosen by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation to lead the Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health, which is dedicated to studying harmful algal blooms in and around the Great Lakes.

• The UToledo Board of Trustees adopted a $1 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2025.

• UTMC welcomed cancer survivors and their supporters and loved ones to a survivorship celebration held in concert with National Cancer Survivors Month.

July

• The Ohio Department of Development announced UToledo would serve as one of the lead academic partners for a $31.3 million project to establish the Northwest Ohio Glass Innovation Hub, which is expected to create 1,600 new jobs and contribute $284 million to the local economy over the next five years.

• UToledo announced it would add women's rowing as the school's 17th varsity sport beginning in the 2025-26 academic year. It is the first new varsity sport since women's soccer was added in 1995.

• UToledo launched a first-of-its-kind study to identify the health effects of airborne microcystin exposure in individuals who spend significant time near Lake Erie. The study, part of the awarded five-year, $6.5 million federal grant that funds the Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health, will follow 200 volunteers over the next five years.

• UToledo launched its new The Power To Do brand, bringing the University's academic and clinical operations together under one identity. The new brand highlights the power of UToledo's teaching, research and care through the stories of faculty experts, successful students and alumni, and dedicated staff through slice-of-life photography and bold type in headlines that pull TO DO out of UTOLEDO for ownable and impactful messaging.

• UToledo broke ground on a new pedestrian bridge over Douglas Road that will more directly connect the University's engineering buildings to the rest of Main Campus, improving safety for students, staff and visitors.

• UToledo hosted its 31st annual Art on the Mall, spotlighting more than 100 artists from around the country and artwork that includes acrylic, glass, pen and ink, oil, mixed media, metals, photography, ceramics and jewelry for viewing and purchase.

• UToledo and the Glass Bowl were included in EA Sports College Football 25, allowing players of the long-awaited game take the field as the Rockets.

• UToledo and Adrian College announced a new joint degree agreement that creates a pathway for students to simultaneously earn a juris doctor from UToledo and a master of arts in criminal justice from Adrian College.

• UToledo marked the 10-year anniversary of Toledo's water crisis with a series of stories detailing UToledo's commitment to protecting the region's drinking water and its water quality research efforts over the past decade.

August

• The National Science foundation awarded UToledo nearly $1 million to establish a mechatronics club for students at Toledo Public Schools. UToledo is collaborating with Toledo Public Schools, Owens Community College and Dana Inc. on the project.

• UTMC announced it received the Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence designation from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. UTMC is the only hospital in Toledo to be recognized with the prestigious designation and one of fewer than 200 facilities nationwide.

• UToledo hosted Employee Appreciation Summerfest 2024 on Health Science Campus with a free meal, games, raffle prizes, music and a photo booth.

• The Toledo football program shared the joy of victory with approximately 35 special needs students at its ninth annual "Victory Day" inside the Fetterman Training Center.

• UToledo celebrated the return of students with its annual Welcome Weekend featuring a range of opportunities for new and returning students to get involved and have fun on campus.

• UToledo and the city of Toledo celebrated Rocket Week ahead of the home football opener against Duquesne with a downtown flag-raising ceremony, an on-campus pep rally and other events.

• Rocket Athletics received its third straight Cartwright Award from the Mid-American Conference, recognizing its excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship. UToledo is the first school to win the award in three consecutive seasons.

September

• UToledo will receive up to $15 million from the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop new ways to harvest solar energy in outer space. The project, led by Dr. Randall Ellingson, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization Endowed Chair, builds UToledo's expertise in thin-film solar technology.

• Dr. Ellen Pullins, the Schmidt Research Professor of Sales and Sales Management and a professor of marketing in the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation, received a Fulbright Specialist award to complete a project at University of Eastern Finland. Pullins previously spent the 2014-15 academic year in Finland as a Fulbright Scholar.

• The Military Service Center and the Student Veterans of America UToledo chapter hosted the sixth annual 22 Pushup Challenge, raising awareness of veteran suicide during National Suicide Awareness Month.

• The National Institutes of Health awarded more than $3.8 million to Dr. Bina Joe, a Distinguished University Professor and chair of the UToledo Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, for research examining how bacteria-driven changes to bile acids in the gut affect blood pressure.

• UToledo hosted the annual International Human Trafficking & Social Justice Conference. The event, in its 21st year, is the largest academic conference of its type in the world.

• Dr. Kennedy Doro received the American Geophysical Union's 2024 Near-Surface Geophysics Early Career Achievement Award, recognizing his significant contributions to the field as an early-career researcher.

• U.S. News and World Report again ranked UToledo as one of the best colleges in the country, with the University receiving positive marks in the rankings for improvements in its average six-year graduation rate, first-year retention rate and the scholarly work of its faculty.

• Dr. Bina Joe, a trailblazing hypertension researcher whose work established the link between gut bacteria and blood pressure regulation, received the prestigious Excellence in Hypertension Research Award from the American Heart Association.

October

• UToledo unveiled a new Mascot Plaza featuring bronze statutes of Rocky and Rocksy during a pep rally on Centennial Mall that was part of a week-long celebration leading up to the of the Edward C. and Helen G. Schmakel Homecoming Parade and 2024 Homecoming game against Miami.

• The Athletic Department received a $4 million gift from Roy and Marcia Arms. The cash gift is the second largest in Rocket Athletics history.

• UToledo marked the completion of a new greenspace in front of the College of Engineering's Nitschke Hall. The project, which began in June with the demolition of Palmer Hall, followed a $22 million renovation of the North Engineering Building.

• UToledo welcomed about 500 local high school students to campus Oct. 3 for Finance 101, an interactive game developed by the Northwest Ohio Credit Union Alliance that's designed to teach them about financial literacy.

• UToledo and BGSU joined together for the annual "Ruck the Ball" event, where members of Student Veterans of American from both schools make the 22-mile march from BGSU to UToledo to deliver the game ball for the Battle of I-75 as a way to raise awareness of veteran suicide.

• UToledo Health hosted its second annual trunk-or-treat event outside the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center. The event drew nearly 600 children.

• Interim president Matt Schroeder laid out his vision for UToledo to be the regional force powering opportunities to learn, care, work and play during the annual State of the University

• The University celebrated its researchers receiving more than $72.2 million in external awards during the 2024 fiscal year - the second highest amount in UToledo's history.

November

• UToledo hosted the 24th annual Great Lakes Water Conference, with this year's event focusing on regional implications of climate-related migration.

• Dan Barbee was announced as the new chief executive officer of The University of Toledo Medical Center. Barbee previously led UTMC from 2016 to 2020.

• A new study of Alzheimer's disease led by Dr. Robert Smith, professor and chair of the Department of Neurosciences and Psychiatry, received nearly $4 million from the National Institute on Aging. The project seeks to unlock new clues about the starting point and progression of Alzheimer's disease by taking a clean-slate approach to the disease.

• The men's and women's cross country teams both captured MAC championships. The women's team, led by first-place finisher Mercy Kinyanjui, claimed its fourth consecutive conference title, while the men, led by Dominic Serem's first-place finish, earned their first ever conference title.

• UToledo was again named one of the best schools in the country for its support of military-connected students by Military Times. The University ranked second in Ohio and 10th in the Midwest. UToledo also hosted its 20th annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast and Resource Fair on Veteran's Day.

• UTMC earned a "B" hospital safety grade in the most recent report from the Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit focused on improving patient safety. UTMC is Leapfrog's highest-ranked hospital in the greater Toledo area.

• UToledo hosted the annual President's Thanksgiving Lunch in Thompson Student Union Auditorium, serving up a traditional Thanksgiving meal to students and employees.

• Two professors were again named among the world's most influential researchers by the data analytics firm Clarivate. Dr. Jon Elhai, a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Psychology, and Dr. Yanfa Yan, a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, also were listed among Clarivate's 2023 Highly Cited Researchers.

December

• UToledo and The Blade partnered to launch a new thought leadership series called Perspectives, which kicked off with a panel discussion on modern leadership.

• More than 70 teams of engineering students presented their senior design products at the Fall Senior Design Expo.

• Eamon King, who works as a scientific glassblower in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was selected to fabricate the glass bowls presented to the winner of the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9, 2025.

• Dr. Jianmin Zhang, a professor in the Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, is leading a $2.8 million National Cancer Institute project looking at the tumor microenvironment in triple negative breast cancer.

• UToledo Health unveiled a new patient transport van to help ensure patients of the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center don't miss important appointments because of a lack of transportation.

• The University will celebrate the final graduates to join the Class of 2024 with fall commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 14. UToledo is set to confer 1,486 degrees and graduate certificates during two ceremonies inside John F. Savage Arena, including 110 doctoral, 283 master's, 1,018 bachelor's and 30 associate's degrees, as well as 20 juris doctors.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.