Cleveland State University President Laura Bloomberg, Ph.D., gave her 2026 State of the University address Wednesday, Oct. 14 in the Glasscock Ballroom. 

She headlined the event with the announcement of a $10 million gift to CSU from Monte and Ursha Ahuja and the Ahuja Foundation to the Monte Ahuja Business College. Bloomberg also announced that the CSU board of trustees would rename the Monte Ahuja Business College to the Ahuja College of Business and Entrepreneurship in honor of this major contribution.

The Ahuja family and foundation want CSU to use the money to modernize the business program, including to embrace new developments in AI technology. With rapidly developing technology, students will learn how these realities are reshaping the economic and business world, and learn how to ethically practice artificial intelligence. 

“We are preparing our students to lead to breakthrough and to create their own successes, all in an AI-powered, technologically advanced world,” President Bloomberg told a packed ballroom.
 

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The gift also budgets $100,000 annually to be spread among faculty who demonstrate “excellence and innovation” in hopes of retaining and attracting faculty members. All 2,200 students in both undergraduate and graduate programs in the business college will have new and expanded programs built for the talent that Northeast Ohio is currently searching for. It will also allow for students to participate in corporate partnerships and earn hands-on experience. 

“This is an amazing vote of confidence and investment in our mission to make our students successful in our futures,” said Dr. Sebastian Brockhouse, faculty trustee and director of the MBA program. “It allows us to build the capabilities we need to change lives today, tomorrow, and for years to come.” 

This gift, the largest in CSU's history, marks the 15-year anniversary of the Ahuja family's initial support of the business college.The Ahuja Foundation also supports the Ahuja Endowed Scholarship Fund, which has given scholarships to more than 1,500 students at Cleveland State since its beginning in 1992. 

“I think the announcement today is another example of him (Monte Ahuja) looking down the road, and with this money spent, the business department will get better and better, and more and more students will be able to benefit from that,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who also addressed the assembly. 
 

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To honor the Ahuja family, the CSU board of trustees will vote to rename the business school to be the Ahuja College of Business and Entrepreneurship. 

“Our goal is that the Ahuja College of Business and Entrepreneurship will be the academic heart of Northeast Ohio for finance, economics, management, marketing, and administration,” Dr. Bloomberg said. 

Cleveland State Commitment

While the Ahuja gift dominated the state of the university address, President Bloomberg had plenty of other good news for the community.

She reminded the audience of the Cleveland State Commitment, announced Oct. 9, which will provide free tuition for incoming students who have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and whose families make less than $125,000 a year. Bloomberg noted that the commitment will work hand-in-hand with the generosity of current donors who finance scholarships, a vital and key part of CSU’s culture.

“We cannot do this alone,” Dr. Bloomberg said.

Cleveland State United

The President also revisited the university's strategic plan, Cleveland State United, which has fostered a range of initiatives at CSU. 

These include building out the Student Division of Belonging and Success, the development of 17 integrated undergraduate degrees, and the school’s partnership with Ideastream and the Cleveland Playhouse, the latter a new strategic alliance announced on Sept. 17. 

Bloomberg also mentioned CSUCompass, which is a systems overhaul currently underway to provide smoother and appropriate AI-enabled processes for positive impact in the university's technology systems.  

The strategic plan has a strong focus on community partnerships. These include TEDxCleveland State, Untangling Wonder, which CSU will host Oct. 23 in the Waetjen Auditorium, the only university-led TEDx event in Northeast Ohio. 

Dr. Bloomberg also announced the state of plans for a new art gallery on East 13th Street, titled The Galleries at East 13th Street, curated by CSU. The event space will be built in what currently is a parking garage on the first floor of the theatre and arts building. Though it will be run by CSU, The Galleries is intended to be a community space for all Clevelanders to enjoy. While the stakeholders are still short $1 million in funding for the project, a grand opening is planned for next fall. 

CSU Talent Hub

Up and running this fall is the CSU Talent Hub, funded by the Cleveland Foundation. The hub will help ensure students graduate with work-based or experiential learning experience, a core strategy for Cleveland State. 
 

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The hub will mediate internships and co-ops, but could also foster micro apprenticeships, student projects, and additional outside experiences. 

Executive Director Janine Kaiser and faculty director Dr. Michelle Heath have started workshops with faculty assistance to ensure full support for students entering these new practices. Twenty-three faculty and four colleges took part this summer in the first Talent Hub development workshop. 

Moving forward, each college will create a faculty advisory committee, with each each member responsible for creating and managing the work-based learning opportunities for their own respective colleges. The next steps in this program will launch for students in spring 2027.

Disability initiative

President Bloomberg acknowledged that students with disabilities have raised concerns about not feeling prepared for final-year placements, or first-job opportunities. To bridge this gap, Dr. Bloomberg noted that Professor Christina Milia, from CSU’s School of Education and Counseling, as well as an advisory board made of university and community members, created two new courses over the summer to bridge the gap. 

The first, called the Inquiry to Disability Collaboration and Professional Pathways, will revolve around guest panels and classroom simulations to allow students to grow in a controlled environment. The second is a micro-apprenticeship that shows perspectives on disabilities and how to support individuals across various systems.

“Really, the hope and the outcome is that they have these experiences early enough in their preparation that they ultimately feel more prepared out in the field,” Professor Milia said.

Transforming Ohio

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine attended the CSU State of the University event and praised the school's focus on community collaborations and transformational efforts that he expects will impact the state for years to come.

“Ohio is really moving forward; we’re bringing companies in, companies that are expanding,” said Governor DeWine. “The final question always comes down to: do you have the people to fill the jobs? Is it here in the community?”

“The work based learning is something that’s certainly near and dear to my heart because we know that if students are able to get a job, they’re more likely to stay right here,” DeWine said.

The governor also acknowledged the newfound accessibility to work-based learning for first-generation students, which make up roughly half of Cleveland State’s population. 

“What Cleveland State is doing is so vitally important, not just to Cleveland, not just to Northeast Ohio. Cleveland State is vitally important to the state of Ohio.”

CSU's president acknowledged the support and enthusiasm of the state's leadership.

“We are so grateful to the partners who work with us as we try to continue this momentum, and I’m truly excited to see how these initiatives will evolve and progress as we report this time next year,” Dr. Bloomberg said. 
 

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