Daemen University President Gary A. Olson delivered the spring State of the University address on Friday, April 26, in the Yurtchuk Social Room, emphasizing an extremely productive academic year for the institution.
President Olson announced a record-breaking year of external funding. The university has received nearly $9.5 million in donations to date with May remaining in the fiscal year.
“This year, we have already brought in more external funding than in any year in the institution’s 77-year history, including three of the largest donations in the Daemen’s history,” President Olson said.
He also touted this past year’s strong enrollment numbers for both the Amherst and Brooklyn campuses and said recruitment for the fall is off to a promising start despite fewer students applying to college and a delay in FAFSA, which is the federal government’s free application for student aid, pushing back the deadline for students to commit to a school.
Olson said university leadership remains dedicated to finding strategic ways to make Daemen attractive to prospective students, most recently establishing two new and high-demand degrees.
He added, “The New York State Education Department recently approved two new degree programs. One is a new bachelor of science in criminal justice. There is a fair amount of demand for this degree. The other is the updated Doctor of Nursing Practice in the Scott Bieler College of Health Professions. This doctoral degree will enable us to serve those in the nursing field who wish to go on and earn a terminal degree.”
The dedication of the Scott Bieler College of Health Professions, which honors Board of Trustee member Scott Bieler and his steadfast support of the university’s medical and healthcare efforts, is just one of many momentous occasions marked throughout the year including the newly opened Saffrin Public Square and the renamed John Yurtchuk Student Center.
President Olson also acknowledged what was likely the Athletic Department’s most successful year in institution history, pointing to the standout seasons for the basketball and volleyball programs.
“Highlighting the exceptional year that the athletics program has experienced is the recently released rankings of all Division II athletics programs,” said Dr. Olson. “Daemen ranked number one among East Region institutions in the current Learfield Directors Cup Standings and 37th nationally among all Division II institutions – a true national distinction for the university.”
You can watch the full State of the University address: