Under President Sharon L. Gaber’s leadership, The University of Toledo has met the graduation rate goal set in the strategic plan three years ahead of schedule.
The six-year graduation rate for undergraduate students has increased nearly 9 percent over the last three years to its highest level in school history, according to preliminary data available. The graduation rate has the potential to increase as additional students graduate following the summer session.
Gaber
“We set an ambitious goal, and President Gaber accepted that challenge in her commitment to ensuring student success,” said Mary Ellen Pisanelli, chair of the UToledo Board of Trustees. “The University is stronger today because of her vision for our future and her sense of urgency and collaborative style getting everyone on board to accomplish it.”
The graduation rate was one of a number of successes praised by the Board of Trustees during the president’s annual review during the final board meeting of the fiscal year.
The trustees recognized Gaber for consecutive years of increased student retention rates and research awards during her tenure and two years of strong fundraising that exceeded goals.
Her leadership also was credited for the new brand, scheduled to launch July 1, that speaks confidently and boldly of UToledo with an emphasis on personal stories. It is part of Gaber’s focused effort to boost Rocket pride and the University’s national reputation, which has led to successfully recruiting the most academically prepared class of first-year students in school history.
“I am proud of the progress we have made together to advance The University of Toledo,” Gaber said. “It is an honor to lead this great team. We would not have been able to accomplish all that we have without the dedicated individuals who are so committed to our students.”
As part of the performance review, the board voted to give the president a performance incentive, to be paid with private funds, per her five-year contract approved in 2018.
A nationally respected higher education leader, Gaber is one of the longest serving presidents among Ohio’s public colleges. She recently was selected to chair the Inter-University Council of Ohio, which represents the state’s 14 public universities. She serves on the NCAA Strategic Plan Committee and represents the Mid-American Conference on the NCAA Division 1 Presidential Forum.
Gaber also is a member of the board of directors of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, which is a network of 37 public urban research universities working to drive transformational change throughout their institutions and the communities they serve in partnership with the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.
