President’s Newsletter: August 2026

From the Desk of Dr. Philip Cavalier

President of Kutztown University

President's Update

Welcome Back, Golden Bears! I hope you had a great summer.

I am ready and excited for the vibrancy and energy our students, faculty and staff bring to our campus. Students have already started to return, with our new freshman ready to join our KU family and move into their residence halls tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 20.

Since spring, you'll notice several improvements across campus. We had a fantastic turnout a couple weeks ago to celebrate the renovation and grand opening of Johnson Hall, which will house students this fall. Johnson Hall offers our students more of the amenities they want and need to succeed; we couldn't be prouder of this successful renovation. My thanks to Bill Leech in Facilities for leading this project and ensuring it reached the finish line. We also enhanced our dining experience at the Academic Forum to include more options for our students. Be sure to visit.

Looking ahead, we have continued our push to develop new partnerships across the Lehigh Valley and Berks County with local businesses, as well as city, county and federal government officials. We were very grateful to Congresswoman Madeleine Dean for visiting KU earlier this month and allowing us to tell the story of the great things that happen here.

We have taken the next steps to acquire spaces to offer classes in Reading and Allentown to best serve the needs of our students and the greater community. There is an eagerness to expand our footprint and we have made tremendous strides in the last year.

One of our great successes last year was celebrating a new fundraising record for the university. This will continue to be a priority for me as we venture into KU's next chapter.

Our search for the next vice president of Enrollment Management will continue in the fall. This is a crucial position for the university, and I will want to get our community's feedback once again to ensure the successful candidate can come in and provide strategic vision and direction in the enrollment area, including recruiting adult learners.

We have started a space utilization study, which will lead us into the campus master planning process this coming year. This will provide us with a vital data point to drive further discussion.

While we are hard at work positioning KU for the future, I'm going to enjoy the day-to-day activities that make our campus so great. We begin with our Faculty and Staff, and Student Convocations Friday, Aug. 21, that lead into our Welcome Week activities and the first day of classes, Monday, Aug. 24. Before you know it, athletic events will be underway and our Rock the Lawn outdoor music performances behind Schaeffer will add to the student life experience. Our town halls will also continue this year, giving me the chance to engage with our students, faculty and staff on many important topics (dates to come).

I'll be out helping our students and their families during Move-In Day. Please feel comfortable coming up to me and saying hello. Meeting and engaging with our students have been some of the most rewarding aspects of my time at KU.

Let's have a great year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Phil Cavalier

Division Updates

Academic Affairs

The university has 10 new faculty joining us in tenure-track positions this semester. Please join us in welcoming them to KU, or for those who have taught for us in the past, to their new roles.

• Ryan Hamilton, Computer Science and Information Technology
• John Gallagher, Social Work
• Timothy Seip, Social Work
• Jeremy Kettering, Economics
• Katie Monahan, Elementary, Middle Level, Library and Technologies Education
• Mark Bischel, Art and Design
• Kristin Baxter, Art Education
• Todd Walker, Music
• Erin Lee, Athletics
• Susanna Bushkie, Sports Medicine

Administration & Finance

As we begin a new academic year, the Division of Administration and Finance is excited to welcome our new and returning students and looks forward to supporting faculty and staff throughout the semester. Throughout the summer, our teams worked diligently to prepare facilities, operations and services for the start of the fall semester. This month, we celebrated the reopening of Johnson Hall with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. We are also pleased to welcome more than 1,400 undergraduate and graduate student employees who will support departments across the university this year. We wish everyone a successful semester ahead.

KU Foundation

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity and commitment of our community, the KU Foundation is celebrating a record-breaking year and the incredible impact we’ve made together. And there’s even more to look forward to! Homecoming registration is now live and we hope you'll join us Oct. 23-24 as we come together to reconnect, celebrate and show our pride. While you're marking your calendar, be sure to save the date for our 1866 Giving Challenge, Oct. 20-21, an inspiring opportunity for our entire community to rally together in support of the people, programs and experiences that make KU so special.

Student Affairs

We hope you're enjoying the final days of summer and getting excited for a new semester at Kutztown University. Across campus, we are preparing to welcome our Golden Bears back home and we can't wait to see the energy, excitement and spirit you bring with you. Welcome Week is filled with programs and events designed to help new and returning students connect, make new friends, create lasting memories and find their place in the KU community. Get involved, try something new and take advantage of all that KU has to offer. We can't wait to see you – welcome home, Golden Bears.

University Relations & Athletics

The 2026-27 Golden Bear Athletics year gets underway in the coming days as fall sports teams take the playing venues. With the renovations underway at Keystone Hall, women's volleyball will play home matches at nearby Brandywine Heights High School. Men's and women's cross country, field hockey, football, women's soccer and men's and women's tennis will all play at their usual home venues on campus this fall. Women's golf will host fall competitions at Berkleigh and Moselem Springs Golf Clubs. Family Day is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, and Homecoming for Saturday, Oct. 24. Tickets are required for home football games (free tickets are available for KU students, faculty and staff). Admission to other fall sports during the regular season is free. For more information on Golden Bear Athletics, including football tickets and following our teams on social media, visit the KU Athletics website.

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