Bloomberg began her career at UM as the associate director of the Institute on Community Integration and also taught in the Educational Policy and Administration Department. Bloomberg also served as principal and K-12 district administrator of the West Metro Education Program. [2]
In 2021, Bloomberg left UM to become the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Cleveland State University (CSU). [1] Bloomberg was named the university's eighth president on April 26, 2022, succeeding Harlan M. Sands. [4] While never having visited the Greater Cleveland region prior to joining CSU, Bloomberg was drawn to working at a state-run university, and toured the region with her husband Jon. [5] Bloomberg was briefly on the short list for UM president in the spring of 2024; [6] after being passed over by the UM regents, Bloomberg declined to seek the presidency of any other institution. [7] [8] Bloomberg signed a five-year contract extension with CSU on May 16, 2024. [9]
CSU presidency and controversies
CSU reported a $150 million budget shortfall in July 2024 due to declining enrollment trends, which also occurred at other universities across Ohio, [10] [11] and froze or eliminated 42 bachelor and master degree programs. [12] Accounting firm Ernst & Young was retained on a $900,000 contract, which was funded externally; [13] the firm recommended making these cuts, along with $10.1 million in contract buyouts to faculty and staff, or risk exhausting $147 million in monetary reserves over the next five years. [14] Bloomberg and CSU's board of trustees presided over a five-year strategic plan that was drafted at the end of 2024. [15] While Bloomberg and CSU mutually agreed to forgo her annual performance bonus with her 2024 contract extension, [9] she was granted a 25 percent bonus and 3 percent raise in May 2025, owing to "significant accomplishments". [16]
In July 2025, Bloomberg announced CSU would shut down its U-Pass program, limiting access to public transit for those previously issued passes. [17] More cuts were reported by September 2025, specifically targeting CSU's LGBTQ+ and Women's Center [18] and other campus programs related to Diversity, Equality, & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives as a result of Ohio Senate Bill 1, passed on June 27, 2025, [19] despite Bloomberg's public opposition. [20] On August 28, 2025, Bloomberg announced CSU entered into negotiations with the United Soccer League that called for the demolition of the Wolstein Center. [21] [22] CSU sold their presidential house in Cleveland Heights for $1 million in late September 2025, with the university estimating an annual savings of $145,000; Bloomberg, who was granted a housing allowance, opted to reside in the city. [16] [23] [24] By December 2025, Bloomberg asserted the university now operated on a balanced budget even as contract negotiations between CSU, the AAUP and SEIU District 1199 were still ongoing. [20]
WCSB, the university's radio station, was leased out to Ideastream Public Media on October 3, 2025, under an eight-year [25] public service operating agreement, with Ideastream's mainstream jazz service supplanting the prior campus format. [26] Prior to this, CSU failed to provide promised scholarships to student staff for the upcoming academic year and the station's faculty advisor retired. [27] Bloomberg described the lease, which was announced abruptly after months of internal negotiations, [28] as "cost neutral". [29] [30] University police escorted staff out of the WCSB studios minutes after the announcement was made; [31] Bloomberg later asserted the staff were broadcasting without authorization and were let in by the same campus police after their keycard access had been revoked. [20] CSU, Bloomberg and Ideastream were criticized and protested by students, [32] on-air volunteers, community leaders and Cleveland City Council. [33] [34] [35] Bloomberg was also named to Ideastream's board of directors as part of the agreement. [25] Bloomberg defended the WCSB changeover in a December 2025 interview with The Cleveland Stater, while also denouncing some of the criticism as "pretty vicious feedback" and that several postings and comments were turned over to the FBI as "threatening". [20] Former WCSB staff, including prior station manager Alison Bomgardner, filed a lawsuit against CSU and Bloomberg over the lease, but did not name Ideastream as a defendant. [36]
