During her annual fall address, USF System President Genshaft also revealed a record research year and a fundraising milestone
TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2017) – The University of South Florida in Tampa has reached the required number of benchmarks to earn the designation as a “preeminent” research university in the State of Florida, university president Judy Genshaft announced Wednesday during her annual fall address in the Marshall Student Center.
USF’s most recent data, updated after the summer 2017 semester, shows USF Tampa’s 6-year graduation rate has increased to a level (70 percent) that meets the preeminence standards according to the current Florida law. State universities must meet at least 11 of 12 established benchmarks, which are subject to change in the 2018 Florida legislative session. The Florida Board of Governors must certify all data before officially designating a university as preeminent.
“Last year we embarked on a path to preeminence, one that required us to dig deeper, work smarter and go further than ever before,” Genshaft said, “This past year has been truly extraordinary.”
During the fall address, Genshaft also announced the USF System set a new record during the 2016-17 academic year with more than $475 million in research grants and contracts. The amount is up from over $458 million in 2015-16, representing an increase of approximately 3.6 percent.
“It’s not just the dollars attached to our research productivity,” Genshaft stated. “It’s also the way we harness it – applying our creativity to real-world problems and finding practical solutions that have a major impact.”
Genshaft also announced that USF has reached a major fundraising milestone and new record high endowment level.
USF has now met its goal of raising $1 billion through the Unstoppable campaign. The university will celebrate the accomplishment in November, one year earlier than the original targeted date to meet the goal.
In addition, USF’s endowment has now reached $441 million, the highest it has ever been. She noted only two universities in the country founded after 1950 have endowments higher than USF, highlighting the uniqueness of this achievement.
“It’s extremely rare,” Genshaft said, “It says a lot about the passion of our supporters, our university, our students, our alums and our community. We are extremely appreciative.”
The full text of Genshaft’s speech can be found online here.
About the USF System
The University of South Florida System is a high-impact, global research system dedicated to student success. The USF System includes three institutions: USF; USF St. Petersburg; and USF Sarasota-Manatee. The institutions are separately accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. All institutions have distinct missions and their own detailed strategic plans. Serving over 49,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.6 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference.
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