State of the University - August 25, 2005
It is a pleasure to be back with you again. The summer was long and hot, but – so far, – there's no hint of hurricanes!
It is very enjoyable to see the new students enrolled and going to classes. If it looks more crowded than last year, that's because it is. In spite of our enrollment management system, there are about 400 more freshmen enrolled than this time last year. We didn't really want this to happen, and it will require a coordinated effort by many to ensure they are fully incorporated into the system and get the educational opportunities they deserve. Final enrollment numbers will be forthcoming in several weeks, and I will report back to you.
One piece of good news is that our credit hour production is on-budget or ahead of budget so far this year. Last year, UF finished about $2 million under its budgeted credit hour production.
An area of real concern in our undergraduate enrollment is the number of minority students. While the number of Hispanic students in the entering class increased by 17% (150), the number of African-Americans decreased by 8% (60). This trend also occurred at the majority of the state's public universities and, as noted by Governor Bush, is a statewide problem.
Here at UF we are going to address this in several ways. One, our recruitment efforts will be expanded with more statewide coverage in an attempt to "sell" UF. Second, I am announcing today a new scholarship program at the University of Florida. It will be entitled "Florida Opportunity Scholarships" and will target students on the basis of economic need and on students who are the first in their family to attend a four-year college. The university will initially allocate $1 million, and we will seek to raise additional private funds to supplement the effort. I hope this will become a statewide program and would like to see the Legislature help fund it. We believe there are significant numbers of students who can be admitted to UF but who either don't apply or don't enroll because of the costs associated with attending college away from home. These students currently either don't go to college or go to a local community college. We want them at the University of Florida!
Fundraising
In the area of fundraising, I have some positive information to share with you. This last fiscal year we raised $42 million for the Faculty Challenge. This is distributed as $16 million in faculty support, $7 million in graduate student support, and $19 million in research support. Our goal is $150 million, and we will keep at it until we get there.
Last year, UF's new endowment investment company (UFICO) grew our endowment by 9.5% and, combined with new monies, the overall endowment grew to $836 million. In addition to this growth, we distributed $24 million to endowment spending accounts. This is very important for the university and our next benchmark is to get to the $1 billion mark.
For this to occur we must continue to increase our fundraising totals. I have emphasized to the deans and development staff that we must do more and, to assist in the effort, we are looking into adding fundraising staff at the college level.
Research
The overall productivity of the faculty continues to set records. Last year, our faculty received $493 million in new research awards. This is an amazing accomplishment! With new research space coming on-line this year, the future looks very good, indeed!
This coming year you will see the launch of the University of Florida Water Institute. This is a case study for our faculty. The concept emerged from a group of faculty already doing research in this vital area. We funded this effort with $1.2 million in start-up funds because it has an interdisciplinary focus, addresses one of the state's major problems, and has the potential to receive additional financial support. A $1.8 million endowed chair is dedicated to the position of Institute Director and several other endowment supports are in the offing.
I consider this a great example of a faculty-driven, strategic initiative. This is how the University of Florida will move forward to capitalize on our unique and strategic advantage from which is the large accumulation of academic disciplines in one location, on one campus.
We will be examining other opportunities in the coming year, and I hope we use the Water Institute as a model.
Faculty Survey
Today we are posting the results of the 2005 Faculty Survey. They can be accessed through either the President's Home Page or the Human Resources Home Page. Kyle Cavanaugh will be distributing college results to the deans. Remember, the survey is exactly the same as the one distributed last year. Results are encouraging but there is still plenty of room for improvement. Here are a few select findings:
- The response rate was 45% with 1784 surveys returned.
- Faculty confidence in the senior administration increased significantly in terms of fairness, treating faculty with respect, core values, decision-making in strategic areas, improved working environment, and climate of acceptance. Even the attitude towards benefits showed slight improvement in spite of the problems we had with health coverage last year.
For sure, we have many areas in need of attention. Frankly, I did not expect any positive movement this year. The Survey was administered before we announced the salary program and the VP for Human Resources, Kyle Cavanaugh, had not yet begun working at UF.
So, I am satisfied with where we are today while I know we have much to do in the years ahead.
National Rankings
Perhaps you saw the publication of the annual rankings last week. UF remains in the same position as last year. While it is easy to make too much of them, I am again struck by the one – and only one – area where we clearly don't fit with the other top universities. That is in the area of "faculty resources." UF ranks #120. Further, our faculty/student ratio is by far the highest of the top 50 institutions. So, it is no mystery what our problem is, and it is equally clear what has to be done. Compared to our peers UF operates annually with about $200 million less. That's a big hardship and it highlights just how good we are in the other measures of quality. We need $80 million to hire 500 additional full-time faculty. We need $35 million to raise faculty salaries to the level of our peers. And, we need $10 million for additional student support staff. It's so simple and yet so difficult. Beginning the process of raising these funds will be one of the top legislative priorities this year.
Marketing
You will soon be seeing a new marketing-communications campaign designed to highlight the accomplishments and successes of UF, its faculty, students, and alumni. This effort began in the spring with research, as our consultants met with over 100 persons on campus, including many faculty members. The information from this research forms the basis of our new communications campaign. It pays tribute to UF students, faculty and alumni who develop a lifelong commitment to the university. And, it acknowledges that these Gators consider themselves part of a larger network of people who define by example how a public research university can best serve the global community.
These students, faculty, staff and alumni are members of the Gator Nation. The theme of the communications campaign is: The University of Florida: Foundation for the Gator Nation. It celebrates that unique bond enjoyed by Gators everywhere.
Traditionally, the Gator Nation has been associated with athletics. We intend to make it much more than that. It encompasses all who have used their UF experience to accomplish great things. And, it recognizes the faculty – the classes you teach, the research you conduct, the patient care and extension services you provide, and the cultural opportunities you create.
Initially, the campaign will include print advertisements, television spots, on-campus banners, and direct mail. Also, there will be a public relations campaign that will focus media attention on the accomplishments of faculty. More information is forthcoming in the weeks ahead.
Shared Faculty Governance
Kim Tanzer has a busy agenda this year, and I am fully supportive of the initiatives she will undertake. In particular, I will participate in helping ensure that shared faculty governance is working at the college level. We have a joint task force that will look at the principles needed to enact shared governance in the units. This is the logical next step for shared faculty governance at UF. Tony Brennan and Gene Larson have agreed to share leadership of the task force. Members have been identified, and a list can be found on the Faculty Senate Website.
Among the other priorities for this year that I want to mention is the concern we have over binge or excessive drinking and underage drinking in our community. We have been working on this for several months, and the Alcohol Steering Committee met this past Monday. This issue affects all of us, and I hope you will support our efforts. In particular, I encourage the students and student organizations to get behind this effort.
Peoplesoft
Next to hurricanes, the one item from last year that has caused concern across most of the university is our implementation of a new software system for financials, human resources and contracts and grants management. Progress was made last year and many units are using the systems well. However, there remains a significant amount to be done to achieve full implementation, and I have asked for additional administrative leadership to get this done.
Accordingly, each of the senior vice presidents will assume oversight for one of the Peoplesoft components. They will work in-tandem with other vice presidents in attempting to identify – and solve – the remaining implementation issues.
Janie Fouke will work with Kyle Cavanaugh on the HR system.
Jimmy Cheek will work with Ed Poppell on the accounting system, and Doug Barrett will work with Win Phillips on the contracts and grants system.
We want to get this done as soon as possible, and I trust they can call on you for input and support.
Cabinet Intros
One of the reasons I am so excited about the coming year is that the University Senior Administration is now assembled and there are some wonderful new members that have joined us since this time last year. Because their work is important to the Faculty and, in particular, to the Senate, I want to introduce the cabinet.
- Jane Adams, October 1
- Patricia Telles-Irvin, October 1
- Jimmy Cheek, January 1
- Kyle Cavanaugh, May 1
- Janie Fouke, August 15
- Brian Beach, June 1
We also have talented administrators who continue in their jobs:
- Doug Barrett
- Win Phillips
- Pam Bernard
- Paul Robell
- Ed Poppell
- Jeremy Foley
- Tim Goldfarb
In Conclusion
All of the initiatives I have discussed this afternoon have one common theme: collaboration between the administration and faculty to advance the University of Florida. Whether boosting minority enrollment, envisioning the next Water Institute, persuading Legislature to provide additional resources, or broadcasting our accomplishments to the world, we are always more successful acting together as partners.
Your involvement in Faculty Senate is important. I commend you for devoting your valuable time to it, and I look forward to working with you in the coming year.
Bernie Machen