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Dear Friends,
Annual reports typically reflect on the progress of the last fiscal year, and there was much for the Neumann University family to celebrate in 2024-25. The last strategic plan culminated with achievements and success stories in all four pillars: leadership, excellence, visibility, and resources.
The next plan for the university is even more exciting – a blueprint of strategic priorities that will propel Neumann’s mission, enhance its outcomes, and transform its facilities.
Before we turn to the future, however, let’s take time to appreciate last year. The common theme in 2024-25 was experiential learning, and the accomplishments were many.
- The digital forensics lab assisted local law enforcement with more than 500 investigations and provided dozens of student interns with valuable career experience.
- We established corporate partnerships with Kinetic Movement Reimagined, the Delaware Blue Coats, the Aston Police Department, and others to ensure a steady flow of pragmatic internships.
- Undergraduates won National Science Foundation research fellowships, and Nursing students experienced immersive service trips to the Dominican Republic.
- Communication and Digital Media students won a host of national awards from the College Media Association and College Broadcasters, Inc., polishing their skills and enhancing their resumes.
- Faculty are launching innovative ways to turn theory into practice through projects that include neurodiversity studies, website creation, and the new Math Escape Room.
The strategic priorities that will guide Neumann in 2026-29 build on the university’s Franciscan mission, its RISES values, and its commitment to learning by doing.
- Mission-Driven Innovation and Future-Proof Education: Through a mission-aligned curriculum, prepare students for life and work in an AI-powered, global economy.
- High-Impact Experiences and High-Level Outcomes: Raise retention, graduation, and career placement rates through experiential and leadership opportunities and wraparound support services.
- Enrollment Growth and Financial Resilience: Increase enrollment in high-demand programs, leverage partnerships to extend Neumann’s reach and value, and continue to expand online offerings.
- Campus Renewal and Digital Transformation: Modernize campus spaces to align with contemporary student needs and commit to long-term sustainability – financially, technologically, and environmentally.
Expect to hear more about the goals and initiatives that support these strategic priorities very soon and know that Neumann University is committed to educating graduates who embrace Franciscan values and believe that knowledge is to be shared in the service of others.
Dr. Chris Everett Domes
President
- U.S. News & World Report ranked Neumann University among the Best Regional Universities in the North for social mobility for the fifth consecutive year.
- Faculty launched a neurodiversity study with the installation of a Cubbie, an immersive sensory regulation booth, in Bachmann.
- The School of Business opened a Math Escape Room, an enjoyable way for students to apply classroom theory to pragmatic business situations in friendly competition.
- Neumann’s forensics lab has assisted local law enforcement with more than 500 cases since it opened in 2024, analyzing evidence brought to the lab and supporting police investigation of real-time crime.
- Neumann announced that it will join the Middle Atlantic Conference in 2026–27. The MAC is an established NCAA Division III conference with 18 schools in three states.
- Janell Goldsmith (biology) and Aishah Coleman (psychology) won National Science Foundation fellowships to study at the University of New Mexico and Rutgers University.
- The School of Nursing and Health Sciences launched a new, online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree to create experts in clinical practice, nursing education, and healthcare leadership.
- In athletics, the men’s soccer and men’s basketball teams won Atlantic East titles, the roller hockey squad won its sixth national championship, and Lindsey Fagan and Brendan Boschi broke school records in lacrosse.
- A Cultural Immersion class brought 10 nursing students to the Dominican Republic in October. The group went deep into the countryside, visiting local villages to hold pop-up clinics.
- Aaron Krause, the president and CEO of Scrub Daddy and a Shark Tank star, delivered the ninth Rocco A. and Mary Abessinio Lecture in Management and Entrepreneurship.
- Once again, Dr. Robert McMonagle’s State and Local Government class organized Pizza and Politics, a Presidential debate watch and town hall. The event was covered by NBC10, CBS3, and WHYY.
- Flag football grabbed headlines in the fall as the first homecoming football game ever held at Neumann. In March, the Atlantic East launched its inaugural women’s flag football season, making history as the first NCAA conference at any level to officially introduce the sport.
- No Risk, No Gain: The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia debuted at the Neumann Inspires Film Festival. The documentary showed why the world needs the Franciscan legacy now more than ever.
- The campus community celebrated Neumann’s 60th birthday by packing 30,000 meals for Kids Against Hunger. The event launched our pledge to provide 60,000 hours of service by March of 2026.
- Dedicated dad: Shellman Washington earned a flurry of media attention for driving his twin girls to and from campus every day for four years, most of the trips in a 2003 Chevy Impala.
- Our fifth annual Day of Giving: Mission Moments Made Possible raised over $180,000 and illustrated that small gifts are mighty.
- More than 275 alumni and members of the Neumann community came together to celebrate the life and legacy of Brendan P. Kelly ’87, raising over $50,000 for his memorial endowment.
- Alumnus Darren Rodia ’05, CEO of Kinetic Movement Reimagined, and Neumann University announced a new partnership to create valuable opportunities for physical therapy students. Kinetic Movement Reimagined is one of 55+ corporate sponsors across the university.
- Alumni and friends of Neumann established four new endowed scholarships to support students in a variety of majors, including pre-law, political science, liberal studies, and clinical mental health counseling.
- Thanks to a $100,000 grant from the George I. Alden Trust, backstage spaces in the Fred P. Meagher Theatre have been completely renovated. Updates include brand-new countertops, cabinets, sinks, mirrors, ceilings, and improved lighting.
