Dear Friends and Partners,
In 2020, Miami University launched the Office of ASPIRE — a bold step to deepen our engagement with the state of Ohio. At the time, we knew it would be significant, but we could not have anticipated the remarkable success and impact it would generate. From the Lee and Rosemary Fisher Innovation College@Elm business and startup incubator in Oxford, to the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce and Innovation Hub centered in Hamilton through collaboration with Butler Tech and Butler County, to our quantum computing partnership with Cleveland Clinic via the Cleveland Innovation District, ASPIRE has been instrumental in championing Miami and advancing some of the university's most transformative initiatives in recent years.
Building on that momentum, we are now reconfiguring and expanding ASPIRE to further strengthen our commitment to the state and region. We are launching the Office of Partnerships and Strategic Priorities to accelerate and align this work with our strategic plan, MiamiTHRIVE — a plan whose partnerships were significantly advanced through the leadership of ASPIRE. At the same time, we are doubling down on ASPIRE's mission by sharpening its focus on Ohio and reintroducing it as Advancing State Priorities, Igniting Regional Economies — a name that reflects a renewed commitment to leveraging Miami's expertise in service of the state's most urgent economic and strategic priorities.
This next chapter of ASPIRE draws inspiration from our founding. Miami University was established in 1809 through a land grant authorized under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, passed before the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, which declared: “Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” While Miami was not designated a land-grant university under the Morrill Act of 1862, our institutional philosophy has long embraced its vision — to make higher education more accessible, more practical, and more responsive to the public good.
In that spirit, we consider ourselves a Morrill-inspired university — established even before Justin Morrill's birth, yet embodying the ideals his act would later enshrine. Our early land-grant roots, coupled with our enduring public mission, continue to fuel our commitment to Ohio — through talent development, innovation, entrepreneurship, industry engagement, and solutions that strengthen communities and drive progress. We are proud of our role as a partner to Ohio, Ohio industry, and to the people of Ohio — and we are energized by the opportunity to do even more in the years ahead.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we will continue to advance Ohio's future.
Gregory P. Crawford President
