哔咔漫画

鈥楢 Giant Leap鈥�: USF joins top echelon of research universities 鈥� the AAU

By KILEY MALLARD, USF Advancement

WIth spring commencement behind her and the quieter summer sessions underway, USF President Rhea Law had no reason to suspect Tuesday, May 23, would be anything but business as usual. 

And then her phone rang.

On the other end of the line was Barbara R. Snyder, president of the Association of American Universities.

鈥淪he was so happy to invite our university to join the AAU because they had been looking at us for quite a while,鈥� Law recalls Snyder saying. 

鈥淢embership in this association, the most prestigious in higher education, is by invitation only, requiring a three-fourths majority vote by member institutions. This serves as undeniable recognition by our peers that USF is one of the nation鈥檚 top-tier universities.鈥�

Law accepted immediately and was permitted to share the news with a few select leaders before the official announcement by AAU on June 1. Excited, she called Will Weatherford, chair of the university鈥檚 board of trustees. No answer. She texted and emailed 鈥� 鈥淐ALL ME!鈥� 

Four hours later, they finally connected. Weatherford was stunned. He鈥檇 seen this day coming, yes 鈥� but sometime in the future.  

鈥淓verybody had that feeling,鈥� Law says. 鈥淭hey believed this would be something we achieved further down the road, but the velocity at which our university is moving is truly extraordinary. This achievement signals that the hard work of our students, faculty and staff has made an incredible impact.鈥�

Later, at a press conference announcing the news, Weatherford would say, 鈥淩eceiving an invitation to join the Association of American Universities is one of the most significant accomplishments in 哔咔漫画 history 鈥� USF has taken a giant leap into the future.鈥�

While achieving the goal was never in doubt, the unexpected timing caught many by surprise. President Emerita Judy Genshaft literally jumped out of her seat with joy, and Faculty Senate President Jenifer Jasinski Schneider, 鈥�89 and MA 鈥�92, asked in disbelief, 鈥淎re you serious? Are you kidding me?鈥�

Only one person got it right when Law said, 鈥淚鈥檝e got great news! Guess what it is!鈥� Vice Provost Pritish Mukherjee had been closely monitoring USF鈥檚 performance metrics. He knew.

AAU membership marks another milestone on the university鈥檚 journey of continuous improvement and pursuit of excellence.

With six new members added in 2023, AAU is now composed of 71 institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to this year, only four institutions had been added in the last decade. 

USF is the fifth youngest institution, one of only six members founded after 1950. The university is also the first public university in Florida to be invited in nearly 40 years, since the University of Florida joined in 1985.

When assessing potential new members, AAU considers an institution鈥檚 research activity, faculty excellence, the quality of educational programs, graduation rates and the number of lower-income students who receive Pell Grants.

For Law, achieving this milestone was a powerful reminder of the importance of setting goals and working together to achieve them. 

鈥淭o have identified AAU as being a goal for the 哔咔漫画 way back in 2007 when I had just become the chair of the board of trustees, and to now be in this position and to have achieved it, is the most fulfilling thing I can think of,鈥� she says, her voice catching with emotion. 

While USF is already among the country鈥檚 most research-intensive universities and one of the world鈥檚 most prolific generators of U.S. patents, AAU membership will provide more opportunities to respond to the world鈥檚 greatest challenges. Members earn the majority of competitively awarded federal funding for basic research 鈥� 63% or $28.8 billion.

Membership will also enhance student and faculty recruiting, which will attract more businesses to the Tampa Bay region looking to tap into the university鈥檚 resources.

Most important, it gives USF a seat at the table in advancing higher education and laying the scientific foundation that helps keep the nation鈥檚 economy strong and its citizens healthy and safe.

Our journey has just begun.

1. Timeline

   1. USF Established

      Dec. 1, 1956

      鈥淚t [the site] was a mass of weeds, scrub oak and swamp that was attractive to alligators.

            鈥� John Allen, USF鈥檚 first president

   2. Full Accreditation

      1965

      We receive full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

   3. First Doctoral Degree

      May 25, 1971

      

      St. Leo Abbey monk Richard S. 鈥淛oe鈥� Houbrick, PhD Biology, is awarded our first doctoral degree. Houbrick, who died in 1993, went on to work as a researcher at the Smithsonian Institution.

   4. Sponsored Research Grows

      May 1987

      Sponsored research grows more than 135%, to $23.3 million, since 1978.

   5. Research I University

      1998

      The Florida Board of Regents names us a Research I university 鈥� at the forefront of research and innovation.

   6. AAU Goal

      2007

      

      USF Board of Trustees Chair Rhea Law, 鈥�77 (now USF鈥檚 president) and President Judy Genshaft (now president emerita) establish a goal of membership in the Association of American Universities in our five-year strategic plan.

   7. Fastest-Growing University

      Aug. 28, 2009

      The Chronicle of Higher Education names us the nation鈥檚 fastest-growing university for federal research funds.

   8. Student Success Task Force

      November 2009

      A 100-person Student Success Task Force is created to accelerate our student success intiative. The Task Force鈥檚 2010 report provides the blueprint for our Student Success movement, contributing to record gains in student retention and graduation rates.

   9. 9th for Patents

      2011

      

      We rank ninth in the world among universities for the number of patents (83) received from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2010.

   10. Eliminating Graduation Gap

       March 1, 2017

       

       We rank No. 1 in Florida and No. 6 in the nation for eliminating the graduation gap between Black and white students.

   11. Six-Year Graduation Rates

       September 2017

       

       We lead the nation in improvements to six-year graduation rates, according to The Chronicle for Higher Education.

   12. Preeminent University

       June 2018

       

       The Florida Board of Governors recognizes us as Florida鈥檚 third Preeminent State Research University based on 12 benchmarks, including student success and faculty research. The designation recognizes our achievements and provides additional funding.

   13. Phi Beta Kappa

       August 2018

       

       We are awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious national honor organization in the country.

   14. Top 50

       September 2019

       We break the top 50 in national ranking for best public universities, jumping to No. 44 in the U.S. News & World Report.

   15. AAU

       June 1, 2023

       

       We join the AAU, the top echelon of U.S. and Canadian public and private universities.

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AAU By the Numbers