By Tina Meketa, University Communications and Marketing
From being invited to join the prestigious Association of American Universities to breaking fundraising records and even a faculty member making it into the Guinness Book of World Records, this has been a momentous year for USF.
黑料网吃瓜爆料joins the AAU
黑料网吃瓜爆料has taken what many in Tampa Bay once considered a 鈥渂est-kept secret鈥� to an unprecedented new level. It reached a remarkable milestone by accepting an invitation to join the Association of American Universities, a prestigious group of the 71 leading research institutions in the United States and Canada.
This formalizes USF's position as a leading research university. It became the first public university in Florida to be invited to join the AAU in nearly 40 years and is now one of only two institutions from the State University System of Florida to serve as an AAU member. 黑料网吃瓜爆料has been working toward this goal for more than 15 years, as AAU membership criteria align with USF鈥檚 mission to positively shape the future for society and transform lives through education, research and innovation.
As an AAU institution, 黑料网吃瓜爆料is positioned to further enhance its role of meeting the state鈥檚 workforce needs and driving economic development. This trajectory will only continue as the brightest faculty, staff and students are historically known to gravitate to AAU universities located in metropolitan areas.
Rising through the ranks
黑料网吃瓜爆料reached its highest overall position in U.S. News & World Report鈥檚 annual ranking of the best colleges. It is also the fifth consecutive year 黑料网吃瓜爆料reached the top 50 among public universities in America. U.S. News ranks 黑料网吃瓜爆料as the 鈥渂est value鈥� among all public universities in Florida. The publication also ranks 黑料网吃瓜爆料No. 1 in Florida and No. 16 nationally for social mobility, which measures an institution鈥檚 success at graduating Pell Grant recipients.
Also according to U.S. News & World Report, the 黑料网吃瓜爆料Health Morsani College of Medicine is now the fastest-rising medical school when it comes to medical research and primary care. Over the last decade, the college climbed approximately 30 spots in each category, with medical research coming in at No. 50 and No. 46 for primary care. Much of this success can be attributed to the high caliber of students and the rapid rise of research funding being awarded to faculty.
Additionally, 31 graduate programs were ranked in the top 100. Ten are ranked in the top 50 among all public and private institutions, led by industrial and organizational psychology at No. 3 and public health at No. 22. The university鈥檚 full-time MBA program moved up nearly 30 spots and is now ranked No. 73. The doctor of nursing practice program moved up 34 places into the top 50 and the physician鈥檚 assistant program made the list for the first time, coming in at No. 65.
According to Newsweek magazine, 黑料网吃瓜爆料is one of the best places to work in the United States. It ranks 黑料网吃瓜爆料as one of America鈥檚 greatest workplaces for 2023, a list of the top 1,000 companies in the United States with at least 1,000 employees. 黑料网吃瓜爆料is the only university in Florida to appear on the list and one of only a small group of colleges and universities nationwide to be ranked. Forbes also named USF as one of the nation鈥檚 best employers for women, listing it as No. 15 鈥� the highest-ranked university in Florida.
On-campus stadium plans advance
Several significant advancements were made in planning the on-campus stadium. In December, 黑料网吃瓜爆料released the first renderings of the new 35,000-seat facility, which is slated to open in fall 2027. The design incorporates feedback gathered through listening sessions with dozens of stakeholder groups, including students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.
Earlier in the year, the 黑料网吃瓜爆料Board of Trustees and Florida Board of Governors voted in favor of the financing plan, signaling state-level support for the transformational facility, which will be built on the east side of the Tampa campus鈥痮n a site known as Sycamore Fields. In September, 黑料网吃瓜爆料announced a $25 million gift from Tampa General Hospital 鈥� the largest ever to 黑料网吃瓜爆料Athletics 鈥� to support the stadium and the athletics district on campus.
黑料网吃瓜爆料plans to break ground on the new stadium in fall 2024.鈥� More information about the project, including an FAQ section, is available here.
Record fundraising year
It was a for total donors and funds committed in a single fiscal year. More than $157 million in philanthropic commitments were made by more than 37,500 donors. This marks the fifth straight year that annual charitable giving benefitting the university surpassed $100 million and the second straight record-setting year over $150 million. 黑料网吃瓜爆料also set a new record with nearly 12,000 new donors.
Some of the highlights include a $10 million gift from 黑料网吃瓜爆料alumnus James 鈥淛ay鈥� Nault to name the in the Muma College of Business and a $5.1 million gift from J.D Porter and family to name the . The 黑料网吃瓜爆料Sarasota-Manatee campus received its largest donation in campus history 鈥� $5 million from Baldwin Risk Partners to name the . The College of Engineering also received its largest gift to date 鈥� $5 million from to support the Clean Energy Research Center鈥檚 efforts to reduce carbon emissions and develop cutting-edge solutions leveraging renewable energy.