Biography
Eric F. Spina has served as president of the University of Dayton (UD), a top-tier national Catholic research university, since July 2016. UD is classified among Carnegie R1 institutions for its high level of research activity and doctoral program strength and also holds the Carnegie elective classification for Community Engagement. As president, Dr. Spina serves as CEO of an enterprise with approximately 10,000 students, more than 3,000 employees, and an annual operating budget of $650 million.
Dr. Spina has earned a reputation on campus and beyond for his open and collaborative leadership style — one that has guided the development of an ambitious 20-year strategic vision rooted in the University’s Marianist heritage and focused on positioning UD as “The University for the Common Good.”
Under his leadership, the University successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to adapt to shifting demographics and evolving public policy. The University surpassed its $400 million goal in the recent “We Soar” campaign — setting all-time highs in philanthropy, participation and engagement.
His leadership has led to an expanded commitment to the success of all students with a richer undergraduate experience in which every student is supported by a holistic advisor and completes a guaranteed, high-impact hands-on learning opportunity before graduation. The University has thoughtfully integrated artificial intelligence into every student’s curriculum. Consistent with the University’s 176-year tradition of centering the human person, the curriculum educates every student to use AI skillfully and thoughtfully to create prepared, empathetic and resilient leaders for an AI-enabled workplace.
An engaged and energetic leader, Dr. Spina has made sustained investments in expanding access and strengthening a more inclusive and representative campus community — core priorities throughout his presidency. Across students, faculty, administrative leadership and the Board of Trustees, the University has become more diverse across a range of racial, social, cultural and economic indicators. UD’s undergraduate student body has achieved new levels of academic quality while increasing the representation of students from historically underrepresented and lower-income backgrounds. In 2023, UD was named an American Talent Initiative (ATI) High-Flier, recognizing its national leadership among high-graduation-rate institutions in advancing access and success for lower-income students. Over this period, the share of Pell-eligible students in the entering class has more than doubled, rising from approximately 10% to 22%.
The University has also implemented structural and cultural initiatives designed to foster a strong sense of belonging for all members of the community. Signature efforts include the President’s Commission on the Status of Women and the Flyers Plan for Community Excellence, the University’s diversity and inclusion strategic plan, to enhance the excellence of the University.
Dr. Spina has prioritized strengthening the effectiveness and strategic role of the Board of Trustees. Working closely with trustees, he has led changes to committee structure, support staffing, meeting design and board member expectations. These efforts have resulted in a more engaged and nationally prominent board, well-positioned to provide strategic guidance during critical periods, including the pandemic and a time of heightened federal scrutiny of higher education.
Deeply committed to the University’s role as an anchor institution in Dayton, Dr. Spina has advanced a series of innovative, mutually beneficial partnerships that are reshaping both the campus and the surrounding community while creating new opportunities for student learning.
In 2021, the University and The Entrepreneurs’ Center opened the Arcade Innovation Hub, a nearly 100,000-square-foot facility and the largest university-driven innovation hub in the country. The Hub integrates academic programs, experiential learning and startup collaboration and serves as a cornerstone of the revitalization of the historic Dayton Arcade. In parallel and programmatically connected to the Arcade Innovation Hub, the University has worked with resident-leaders in the historically African American community of Greater West Dayton to build common cause, with one tangible outcome being the Greater West Dayton Incubator (GWDI). With a permanent location opening in summer 2026, GWDI programs and initiatives provide support to underrepresented entrepreneurs, ranging from a yearlong startup fellowship to targeted micro-lending programs.
Through a combination of public and private investment — including a $35 million award from the State of Ohio, $14 million from the City of Dayton, and significant contributions from UD and Premier Health — the University is helping transform the 38-acre former Montgomery County Fairgrounds adjacent to its campus into a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood known as onMain. Construction began in 2025 on the 120,000-square-foot Think Dayton Building, which will house the Digital Transformation Center, an innovation hub aligned with the U.S. Air Force integrating academic, government and industry partners.
Additional initiatives include the development of the 1401 S. Main Street Building, a collaborative space housing the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community, The Dayton Foundation and the Dayton Development Coalition, as well as a partnership with Premier Health to open a medical facility adjacent to campus that serves both the campus and the broader community while providing experiential learning opportunities for students.
The University has continued to invest in its future through a series of strategic major capital projects. These include the expansion of the RecPlex to incorporate a Health and Wellbeing Center (opening in 2026), the opening of the Roger Glass Center for the Arts in 2024, and the renovation of Jessie S. Hathcock Hall in 2021 as the new home for the computer science department. Additional projects include the $76 million renovation of the University of Dayton Arena, the modernization of Roesch Library into a leading collaborative learning environment, and the development of the Adèle Center, which strengthens the University’s residential experience.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ call to care for “our common home,” the University partnered with external entities to develop an innovative waste-heat power project to bring carbon-free power to campus in 2026 as part of a broader commitment to leadership in sustainability.
Annual sponsored research has tripled over the past decade and now totals approximately $280 million, reflecting the strength of the University’s research enterprise, including the University of Dayton Research Institute. The UD Research Institute will transition on July 1, 2027, into a nonprofit, wholly owned subsidiary of the University to position it for even greater success.
Dr. Spina is an active and visible communicator and was the first University of Dayton president to engage broadly with the community through social media, where he has built a strong following through storytelling across multiple platforms.
Nationally, he chaired the Atlantic 10 Conference Presidents Council for a three-year term beginning in July 2023 and serves on the boards of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, the Association of Marianist Universities, and the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. He is also a member of College Presidents for Civic Preparedness and serves on the steering committee of the American Talent Initiative. He previously served on the NCAA Division I President’s Forum and on the board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, which he chaired in 2022–23. In Ohio, he serves on the executive committee of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio, whose board he previously chaired from 2022-24. Locally, he received the United Way of Greater Dayton’s Smith Moore Award in 2020, the organization’s highest honor, recognizing exceptional leadership and dedication to the community.
Before joining UD, Dr. Spina spent 28 years at Syracuse University, where he served as vice chancellor and provost for nearly nine years and also as interim chancellor and president.
He began his career at Syracuse as a faculty member in mechanical and aerospace engineering, later serving as department chair and as the Douglas D. Danforth Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. He retired from Syracuse as Trustee Professor and Vice Chancellor and Provost Emeritus.
As a mechanical and aerospace engineer, Dr. Spina has more than 20 years of research experience in experimental fluid mechanics. He has served as principal or co-principal investigator on grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency. He holds two U.S. patents, has published more than 30 refereed papers, and has edited books and conference proceedings. His research on high-speed turbulent boundary layers includes a major publication in the Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics.
He earned doctoral and master’s degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, with university honors, from Carnegie Mellon University.
A native of Buffalo, New York, Dr. Spina is a Roman Catholic. He and his wife, Karen, have two children, Kaitlyn and Emery.
(Updated June 2026)