President’s Newsletter: October 2026

From the Desk of Dr. Philip Cavalier

President of Kutztown University

President's Update

It's a beautiful time of year at KU. October brings a variety of events, and I strongly encourage you to find a moment to take a step back from your work and enjoy the full college experience. Tonight's Merchant Trick-or-Treat on Main Street has become one of my favorite experiences, as our students commit their time to support our local Kutztown community. Homecoming is this weekend, Golden Bear athletics has been thriving, and the music performances have been great. Make the most of your time at KU and find the event that interests you.

As always, there are very impressive things happening all around campus. The work our faculty and staff do with our students – educating them and helping them see more in themselves than they even know is there – is something to be deeply proud of.

Fall is the heart of recruitment season for our next class of Golden Bears. In addition to our existing efforts, we have implemented re-recruitment efforts for 1) nearly 2,000 admitted students last year who chose not to go to college; and 2) nearly 500 students who have credits with KU but have not completed a degree and are not currently in college. We want to ensure that students not currently pursuing their degree have resources in place to succeed at KU. We will also be investigating ways to reduce summer melt for students who have been admitted. More information will be shared in the spring.

Candidates for our vice president for Enrollment Management will be on campus in November. Stay tuned for opportunities to meet the finalists. In the meantime, I continue to visit our local high schools and meet with administrators and prospective students in hopes of building long-term relationships in our neighboring counties.

It's been more than 10 years since we updated the university brand. A rebranding process is underway to help bring awareness to the university and ultimately attract students.

I will have further university budget updates in November. Our cabinet continues to meet to discuss strategies to navigate our short-term challenges, while continuing to invest in our long-term potential.

Be sure to attend our upcoming Town Halls, where we plan to share our initial strategies:

• Faculty and Staff: 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, Location TBD
• Students: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, 183 MSU
• Faculty: 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, Welcome Center

Our Space Utilization Study will be finalized in November (results to be shared this winter), which will take us into the Campus Master Planning process.

Keep up the great work as we venture into the second half of the fall semester.

Sincerely,

Dr. Phil Cavalier

Division Updates

Academic Affairs

Kutztown University will host its annual Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Symposium 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 218 and 223 MSU. Hosted by the Departments of Computer Science and Information Technology, Biology, Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Society, History and Culture, this inspiring event aims to empower and excite young girls, equipping them with confidence and knowledge to embrace future leadership roles in STEM. The symposium annually welcomes more than 100 students from regional high schools.

Administration & Finance

Congratulations to Michael Schlicher, Facilities, on being named the 2026 Kutztown University Employee of the Year. Michael was named the Employee of the Year during KU's Faculty and Staff Convocation and Celebration Friday, Aug. 21. He was Employee of the Month for August 2025 and was 1-of-12 finalists for the award. Michael is the 10th winner of the annual honor. He has been employed by KU since 1999.

KU Foundation

It's an exciting week at Kutztown University! The 1866 Giving Challenge is bringing alumni, friends and supporters together to create golden opportunities for students. The incentivized giving period concludes today, Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 2:06 p.m., but the impact of our community's generosity will last well beyond the challenge. The celebration continues with Homecoming, Oct. 23-24. Join us in welcoming alumni and friends back to campus for a weekend of Golden Bear pride.

Student Affairs

KU will host the 2026 PASSHE Summit Oct. 28-29. The PASSHE Summit, which KU last hosted in 2010, provides a unique opportunity for faculty, staff, students and administrators from across the State System to gather, share their work and research, and build connections and capacity within and across institutions. This year’s theme for the PASSHE Summit is "Meeting the Moment Together: Transformation through Resilience, Access and Innovation." Register online by Wednesday, Oct. 28, to attend virtually.

University Relations & Athletics

Kutztown University's long-standing annual magazine, Tower, is now available digitally. The 2026 edition includes feature stories on university president, Dr. Philip Cavalier, interesting alumni, current students, the renovated Johnson Hall and more. In an effort to maximize resources and extend reach while providing quality stories for readers, Tower is now only available in digital format.

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