A Decade of Performance at the University of Florida
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A DECADE OF PERFORMANCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1990-1999 he Campaign for the University of Florida — It’s Performance That Counts – manifests a design for the university’s future that builds upon the remarkable Tachievements of past generations. Nothing speaks to the message of this campaign more clearly than the university’s performance during the last decade. This campaign works to translate those accomplishments into a self-sustaining university, where performance and productivity become part of the institutional culture. It rests upon strategic campaign goals amounting to $750 million that target important areas of the UF mission. In these areas, timely investments of private support will leverage exceptional performance for the 21st century. Launched in 1996, the campaign already is producing impressive returns on the investments of the university’s alumni and friends. Campaign support has enhanced the quality and productivity of the faculty. It has increased financial aid and post- baccalaureate opportunities for students. Campaign donors have improved the facilities, technology and equipment that sustain world-class research and teaching. In fact, because of the generous campaign support so far, the campaign has been able to add important new initiatives in genetics, graduate studies and technology. December 31, 2000, will mark the end of UF’s five-year fund-raising drive. As the campaign closes in on the goal, the University of Florida, its administrators, stu- dents, faculty and staff are committed to delivering the very top returns on these investments of private support. IT’S PERFORMANCE THAT COUNTS 1990-1999 A Decade of Performance at the university of florida A DECADE OF PERFORMANCE AT THE University of Florida www.ufl.edu PPerformance defines the University of Florida at the close of the 1990s. The decade that began with personal tragedies and difficult financial times ends celebrating the strong performance of faculty, students, staff, alumni and friends. In reviewing the transforming changes of this decade, the key element in every success story resides with the creativity, commitment and achievement of the university’s people. All of the advances in student or faculty performance, in administrative efficiency, fund-raising achievement, or research effectiveness come from the investment of time and talent by this institution’s people. The following review of this remarkable decade is the record of their achievement; it is their story. The 1990s at the University of Florida represent a coming of age of a great university. By 1989-90, the university’s people had already succeeded in establishing Florida as a significant research institution capable of competing on the national level. Admission into the Association of American Universities in 1985 represented a commitment to sustain that national level of performance into the next decade. That decade challenged the University of Florida to engage fully in the national competition for academic quality and productivity and to move the university into the ranks of America’s premier national public research universities. The decade challenged the university’s people to improve their performance as students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. And improve they did. This brief review highlights the comprehensive nature of the transformation required during these years to position the University of Florida for continued success into the next century. Although the work of improving and enhancing a university is never complete, the engagement of all of the university’s people in this campaign produced some remarkable change. 1 A DECADE OF PERFORMANCE THE DESIGN The University of Florida fulfills its AT THE Fmission as a premier national public University research university for its state by engaging fully in the national of Florida competition among America’s best public research universities and by making the choices that sustain performance. No university can do everything, excel at everything, or compete in everything. Great public universities, nonetheless, have a wide range of expertise, cultivate many specialties, and engage in support of their state and • It must insist on performance their nation on many that places it within America’s fronts. Speaking on top 25 public research behalf of the university, universities in America. the president defined the institution’s agenda for If the university achieves these the century’s last decade characteristics, it will also as follows: contribute effectively to its community and its state; serve its • It must grow large enough to students well and prepare them for sustain all of the missions and success in a highly competitive functions assigned to it at the international market; generate highest level of national quality. economic development through • It must focus clearly on its main technology transfer and agricultural purpose of teaching and research assistance; and serve its many to ensure the quality and statewide constituencies whether in productivity of its core missions. agriculture, business, education, • It must measure its performance economic development, public against the best in the nation as service, or culture. benchmarks for improvement. • It must pursue efficiency to create a margin of revenue each year that it can reinvest in quality and productivity and performance incentives and rewards. • It must identify and increase the resources that make possible the quality and productivity of its people. 2 THE STUDENTS enterprise, and the university would need to invest heavily in the In the 1990s, the consistently high additional infrastructure necessary National Merit Scholars quality of University of Florida for a large-scale expansion of Istudents continued to improve. nighttime classes. With the 210 Whether measured in terms of test 192 concurrence of the state, the J scores, high school grade point 190 University of Florida stabilized its J 170 averages or numbers of National undergraduate enrollment in 1998. J Merit and Achievement Scholars, 150 J The number of undergraduate J incoming students arrived better J degrees awarded increased 130 J J prepared to participate in the J throughout the decade. This trend academic life of the university. As 110 will continue for several years, J 96 J the quality of the students 90 despite stable admissions, because 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 increased, so also did their number. of the university’s remarkably In 1990, students numbered successful program to increase approximately 33,300—sufficient student retention and graduation for a good university but not an rates. adequate size to sustain national While undergraduate enrollment quality at a major land-grant Total SAT Scores for reached near capacity, graduate institution. By the 1999–2000 Entering Fall Freshman enrollment lagged behind. academic year, the student Nationally competitive research 1220 population had grown to nearly 1210 universities of Florida’s scale need a J 44,000—comprised of 31,000 1210 significant number of graduate 1200 undergraduate and 13,000 graduate students at the master’s and 1190 and professional students. 1180 particularly the doctorate level. The JJ 1170 The 31,000 undergraduates university determined that graduate J 1160 represent a near-capacity J J J students should grow to 1150 enrollment for a residential campus approximately 25% of the total 1140 J J J 1135 the geographic size of the number of students. Given an 1130 J 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 University of Florida. More undergraduate population of undergraduates would diminish the 31,000, the total university student ability of the campus to function as population should increase to a geographically self-contained approximately 47,000. To achieve Baccalaureate Degrees Awarded J 7,428 7,200 6,700 J J 6,200 J 5,700 J J 5,394 J J J J J 5,200 1988-891989-901990-911991-921992-931993-941994-951995-961996-971997-981998-99 3 this result, by 1999 the university A DECADE OF instituted a range of special PERFORMANCE fellowship and scholarship programs to recruit and retain the very best graduate students AT THE nationwide. In fall 1999, the University university awarded 100 alumni of Florida fellowships and 42 new minority fellowships providing four years of support to outstanding students beginning Ph.D. programs on the Graduate Degrees Gainesville campus. Awarded The data reflect the changes and 2,558 J 2,500 trends in the student population. Of J J particular note is the balance of 2,300 J J J gender and ethnicity among 2,100 students which demonstrates the J maturation of the University of 1,900 J J Florida. At the beginning of the 1,700 J decade, women represented only Florida ranked seventh among J 1,613 46% of all students; by the 1998– AAU public universities in the 1,500 1988-891989-901990-911991-921992-931993-941994-951995-961996-971997-981998-99 1999 academic year, women had number of African-American reached just over 50%, matching students receiving doctoral degrees the profiles of other highly during the 1993–97 period and competitive national research fourth in the number of Hispanic Percent Women Students universities. students receiving a baccalaureate 51% degree who continue on to receive a 50% In 1988–89, the university’s student 50% Ph.D. body consisted of only 14% 49% minority students; but by 1998–99, By the early 1990s, the large 48% minority enrollment had increased numbers of undergraduates clearly 47% 46% to more than 21%, again reflecting began to overwhelm the university’s 46% the growing maturity of the administrative systems. In 1990–91, 45% institution. The University of the university found that 44% 43% 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Percent Minority Students Black Hispanic 20% Asian/ Pacific 6.3% 15% 5.8% 10% 9.2% 5% 5.1% 2.8% 6.0% 0% 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 4 inefficiencies in its systems resulted Graduating Seniors Survey in students waiting for spaces in required courses, engaging in wasteful drop-and-add processes, Survey Item 1993 1998 and graduating with large numbers Overall Ranking of excess credit hours.