Our Priorities

Mission-Focused

The University of Rochester is on a roll. We raised nearly $1.4 billion with The Meliora Challenge, and even though the campaign concluded in 2016, our work continues. Our future will be fueled by a steady commitment to philanthropy and engagement, and an unwavering loyalty to our mission. So why do we still require philanthropy now and in the future?

For the University to thrive, we must:

• Sustain our excellence
• Amplify our impact
• Accelerate the advantages of our scale
• Succeed among increased competition

Faculty, students, and our schools are driving forward with our data science, neuroscience, performing arts and humanities, and community revitalization initiatives, areas identified by President Joel Seligman as vital to taking the University to “the Next Level.”

Data Science

Data science is the defining discipline of the 21st century. As the centerpiece of our strategic plan, data science leverages the distinctive scale of the University and engages faculty and students in collaborations across schools and programs. Our newly created undergraduate and graduate degree programs in data science are helping train technical specialists, managers, clinicians, and more, and we are already among the most powerful University-based supercomputing sites in North America.

The University is committed to data science research in health analytics; in artificial intelligence and cognitive science; and to develop new data science methods, tools, and infrastructure. These efforts will drive discovery in science, national security and defense, business, medicine, and other fields.

Neuroscience

Neuroscience attempts to conquer some of the most intractable challenges of the human condition, from Alzheimer’s to stroke to aging. We build on strong programs in neurology, neurosurgery, and brain and cognitive sciences within our Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. We are already ranked among the top 50 global universities in neuroscience and behavior and added eight new neuroscientists in 2016.

Key initiatives include:

• The Rochester Center for Alzheimer’s Disease treats some of the 5.4 million people with Alzheimer’s in the United States, a number expected to grow to 15 million within a few decades.
• The Rochester Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Center integrates research with health delivery, education, policy, and advocacy.
• The Rochester Center for Health and Technology builds on existing Medical Center expertise in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.

Performing Arts and Humanities

A 2017 World University ranking places Rochester among the ten best universities for performing arts in the United States. We are home to the Eastman School of Music, widely recognized as one of the top music schools in the country. Some 30 percent of all College undergraduates participate in music, theater, and dance each year—and almost 90 percent of them are non-majors.

Our new Humanities Center provides students and faculty a hub for multidisciplinary exploration of humanities in the 21st century. The center’s lecture series, faculty fellows, and student-faculty conversations support engagement in anthropology, history, literature, language, media, philosophy, psychology, religion, visual and performing arts, and more.

Integrating the performing arts and humanities throughout our broad liberal arts education will strengthen our position as one of the leading research universities in the country.

Revitalization of Our Community

Throughout our 167-year history, the University and the greater Rochester community have been inextricably linked. We are committed to job creation, workforce development, K-12 education, health and wellness, and community enrichment in our region.

This includes our educational partnership to supervise East High School in the Rochester City School District. The Warner Graduate School of Education and its Center for Urban Education Success (CUES) are leveraging this experience to improve urban education nationwide. CUES will create new national models for urban schools; foster best practices in urban education; and develop recommendations for the preparation of urban teachers and leaders, serving as a resource for schools around the country.

COME WITH US TO LEARN, DISCOVER, HEAL, CREATE—AND MAKE THE WORLD EVER BETTER.