University of Akron facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The University of Akron

Former names	Buchtel College (1870–1913) Municipal University of Akron (1913–1966)
Motto	Fiat Lux (Latin)
Motto in English	Let there be light
Type	Public research university
Established	1870; 155 years ago (1870)
Parent institution	University System of Ohio
Academic affiliations	USU Space-grant
Endowment	$235.3 million (2020)
President	Robert J. Nemer
Academic staff	1,032 (2022)
Students	14,813 (fall 2024)
Undergraduates	9,725 (fall 2024)
Postgraduates	2,172 (fall 2024)
Location	Akron , Ohio , United States 41°04′31″N 81°30′41″W / 41.0752°N 81.5115°W / 41.0752; -81.5115
Campus	Urban, 218 acres (0.88 km2)
Colors	Blue & gold
Nickname	Zips
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I FBS – MAC
Mascot	Zippy the Kangaroo

The University of Akron is a public university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. This university is known for its focus on science, technology, engineering, and math. It specializes in areas like polymers (plastics), advanced materials, and engineering. The university is also recognized for its high level of research activity.

The University of Akron offers about 200 different study programs for undergraduate students. It also has more than 100 programs for graduate students. Around 15,000 students attend the university. Its School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering is in a tall, reflective glass building. This building is close to downtown Akron. The university also has the Archives of the History of American Psychology. This archive is connected with the Smithsonian Institution.

The university has three smaller campuses. These are Wayne College in Orrville, Ohio, the Medina County University Center in Lafayette Township, Ohio, and UA Lakewood in Lakewood, Ohio. The university also works with Lorain County Community College to offer nursing programs.

History of the University of Akron

John R. Buchtel, a key founder of the university

How Buchtel College Started

In 1867, a church group called the Universalist Church wanted to start a college. They wanted a college that matched their beliefs. They announced that they would give the college to any city that could provide a good location and $60,000. John R. Buchtel, a successful businessman from Akron and a Universalist, quickly gave $25,000. He also gave $6,000 for building costs.

This encouraged other people in Akron to donate money. Soon, enough money was raised, and Akron was chosen as the location. The college was named Buchtel College after John R. Buchtel, who was its biggest supporter. He continued to give a lot of money to the college, totaling about $500,000 during his lifetime. This would be like giving $16 million today.

When the college opened in 1872, it had only one building. This building is now known as "Old Buchtel." In 1888, a new gymnasium was built. George Washington Crouse donated $10,000 for it. The gym was named Crouse Gymnasium and was considered one of the best in the region.

On December 20, 1899, a fire destroyed Old Buchtel. Insurance only covered $65,000 of the $100,000 loss. While new buildings were being constructed, Crouse Gymnasium was used for classes. A new Buchtel Hall opened in 1901. This building also had a fire in 1971 but was later restored.

The University in the 20th Century

In 1907, Buchtel College changed. It stopped being connected to the Universalist Church. This change allowed it to receive money from the Carnegie Foundation. The Carnegie Foundation did not give money to religious schools.

In 1913, Buchtel College became part of the city of Akron. It was renamed the Municipal University of Akron. At that time, only 198 students were enrolled. With money from city taxes and Akron's growing population, the university grew quickly. Over the next few decades, more buildings were added. The university also bought or received more land.

In 1963, the university became a state-assisted institution. By 1964, it had 10,000 students. In 1967, it fully became a state university. This is when it got its current name, The University of Akron. In 2015, the university had 25,117 students.

Changes and Challenges

The University of Akron's student union at night

From 1999 to 2014, the university's president, Luis M. Proenza, led a huge construction project. It was called "A New Landscape for Learning" and cost $627 million. A new football stadium, InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field, was built on campus. It opened in 2009. This stadium replaced the Rubber Bowl, which was older and farther away.

The university also bought the Quaker Square Crowne Plaza Hotel. It now uses this building as a place for students to live. The university traded land with the city of Akron. This made the University of Akron campus 82 buildings on 222 acres. The total value of its property is $1.84 billion.

In 2015, the university faced a $6 million budget problem. It had to cut over 200 jobs. In 2016, a financial rating company lowered the university's bond rating. This was due to fewer students and high debts. However, by 2018, the rating improved. This was because more students were enrolling, donations increased, and costs were reduced. Still, between 2011 and 2020, the number of students dropped by almost 40 percent.

In October 2019, Gary Miller became the university's 18th president. In May 2020, President Miller announced changes. The university would combine its eleven academic colleges into five. This was to save money because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This change was meant to lower administrative costs. It did not cut any degree programs. However, it did lead to the loss of many full-time professors.

The university's faculty union suggested cutting money from sports. They wanted the university to leave NCAA Division I. This division had lost $215 million for the university over ten years. But the university decided to cut only $4.4 million from sports. In 2021, President Miller's contract was extended. He was praised for his leadership.

Connection to the Rubber Industry

The University of Akron has a long history with the tire and rubber industry. Many large rubber companies, like Goodyear and Firestone, had their main offices in Akron. In 1909, the university offered the world's first courses in rubber chemistry. The university also created the first College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering in the world in 1988.

Academics and Learning

The University of Akron offers many types of degrees. These range from short certificate programs to doctoral degrees. Bierce Library is the main library on campus. It is named after Lucius Bierce, a general from the American Civil War. His personal book collection was the first part of the university's library.

E. J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall

The University of Akron has several colleges and schools:

• Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Business
• College of Engineering and Polymer Science
• College of Health and Human Sciences
• The Graduate School
• School of Law
• Williams Honors College
• Wayne College

The university offers about 200 different majors for undergraduate students. It also has a special program with the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). This program helps students get into the NEOMED MD program early. The University of Akron is also the first university in the country to offer a bachelor's degree in corrosion engineering. This field studies how materials break down and how to prevent it.

Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences

Students in the University of Akron Honors College can earn degrees from any of the university's four-year colleges. They get special advice and can live in the Honors Complex. This is a dorm just for honors students. In 2016, the Honors College was renamed to honor Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams.

The University of Akron currently offers over 105 graduate degrees. About 2,000 graduate students attend. These graduate programs offer degrees like the Master's degree, PhD, J.D., and LL.M.. The Cleveland Clinic and the University of Akron have a special program together. It allows students to do advanced research while working towards a PhD in Integrated Bioscience.

The University of Akron School of Law started in 1921. It became part of the university in 1959. It was fully approved by the American Bar Association in 1961. It offers programs that lead to the J.D. and LL.M. degrees. The University of Akron School of Law is also one of only 22 schools in America to offer an LL.M. in intellectual property.

Becoming a Student

Admissions statistics
2023 entering classChange vs. 2018
Admit rate	70.91% ( −1.98)
Yield rate	19.68% ( −5.71)
Test scores middle 50%
SAT Total	960–1190 (among 20% of FTFs)
ACT Composite	18–25 (among 72% of FTFs)
High school GPA
Average	3.49

The University of Akron has an "inclusive" admissions process. This means they consider many things when deciding who to admit. The Princeton Review gives Akron an "Admissions Selectivity Rating" of 75 out of 99. The university looks at your academic record, how well you did in challenging classes, and your test scores.

For students who enroll, the average high school GPA is 3.49. The typical SAT scores for math and reading are between 470-600 and 480-590. For ACT scores, the range is usually 18–25.

Research at the University

Goodyear Polymer Center

The Goodyear Polymer Center is a large research building at the university. It is 146,000 square feet. Built in 1991, it has two towers, 12 and 9 stories tall. Glass walkways connect the towers. These walkways are places for people to meet and talk. The center has many labs for studying polymers. It also has equipment for computer simulations, microscopy, and testing materials.

The Goodyear Polymer Center is home to the Department of Polymer Science. It also houses the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. The building has classrooms, about 60 labs, and offices for faculty and students. It also has the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Auditorium.

The Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics is another research center. It studies politics and how political parties work. It also focuses on ethical behavior in politics.

Student Life

The University of Akron has more than twenty fraternities and sororities. These are social organizations for students. The Ohio Epsilon chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity started in 1875. It is the oldest continuous Greek-letter group on campus. The Lone Star Fraternity was founded in 1882. It claimed to be the oldest local fraternity in the United States. However, it stopped operating in 2021.

The Beta Tau chapter of Alpha Delta Pi started as "Sigma Delta Theta" in 1920. It was the oldest local sorority on campus at that time. Sigma Delta Theta later became the Beta Tau chapter of Alpha Delta Pi in 1938.

Phi Kappa Tau was first known as Sigma Beta Nu in 1923. The Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics offers scholarships to men studying political science who are members of this group. Famous alumni from this group include politician Ray C. Bliss and mayor Tom Sawyer.

Sports and Athletics

The Akron Zips 2009 home opener against Morgan State University

The University of Akron's sports teams are called the "Zips." This name comes from "Zippers," which were overshoes with zippers popular in the 1920s and 1930s. The university's mascot is "Zippy," a kangaroo. Zippy is one of only eight female college mascots in the United States. Zippy won the Capital One National Mascot of the Year award in 2007.

Akron's sports facilities include InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field, the James A. Rhodes Arena, and the FirstEnergy Stadium-Cub Cadet Field.

In football, Akron's main rival is the Kent State Golden Flashes. In 2005, the Akron Zips football team won their first MAC championship. This allowed them to play in the Motor City Bowl. This was Akron's first time playing in a major Division I-A bowl game. They lost to the Memphis Tigers.

In soccer, the Akron Zips men's soccer team was ranked number one in 2009. They went undefeated and made it to the NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship. The next season, in 2010, they won the "College Cup" against the Louisville Cardinals. This was the first national team championship won by the Akron Zips.

In 2009, the men's basketball team won the MAC Tournament title. They beat Buffalo 65–53 in Cleveland. This win qualified Akron for its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1986. In 2010, the team reached the MAC Tournament Championship game again but lost in overtime. In 2022, the Zips beat rival Kent State in the 2022 MAC men's basketball tournament championship. This earned them a spot in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. It was their fourth MAC tournament title.

Famous Alumni

People in Politics

• Former Akron mayor and Ohio Congressman Thomas C. Sawyer studied at the university.
• Judge Deborah L. Cook received her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the university.
• Former Ohio congresswoman Betty Sutton also received her Juris Doctor from the university.
• Former chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ray C. Bliss, graduated from Akron in 1935. The university's Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics is named after him.
• Former Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan earned a degree in education from the university.
• Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik earned his bachelor's degree in political science in 1989.
• Congressman Shri Thanedar received his Ph.D. from the university in 1982.

Athletes and Sports Figures

• Several former Akron Zips football players have played in the National Football League. These include Chase Blackburn, Charlie Frye, Domenik Hixon, Dwight Smith, and Jason Taylor. Blackburn and Hixon won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants. Smith won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Taylor was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. He was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
• Baseball players Chris Bassitt, Mike Birkbeck, and Mark Malaska have played in Major League Baseball. Malaska was part of the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. Former Zips baseball player Keith Dambrot became a well-known college basketball coach.
• Many soccer players from Akron have played in the MLS (Major League Soccer).
• Track and field athlete Shawn Barber became a professional in 2015. He won the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Men's Pole Vault. Clayton Murphy is a professional middle-distance runner. He won a bronze medal in the 800m at the 2016 Olympic Games.
• Cheerleader Alexis Kaufman, known as Alexa Bliss, has won many championships in WWE.
• Basketball player Kwan Cheatham plays for Ironi Nes Ziona in the Israel Basketball Premier League.

See also

In Spanish: Universidad de Akron para niños

• List of colleges and universities in Ohio