A Good Year
Dean's Musings
This article was originally published in the May 1999 issue of CLASnotes.
Fund raising is big business these days. CLAS brings in over $10 million annually from private sources to support critical College and departmental needs, including scholarships, fellowships, professorships, and the construction or renovation of academic facilities.
With the recent graduation of the Class of 1999 comes the opportunity to look back at the 1998-99 academic year. There was much to like. In fact, it was one of the best years of the past decade. Granted, the 1990s had a fair number of bummer years, particularly in the first half, but the past 4-5 years have seen a most welcome turnaround in fiscal solvency, which has resulted in enhanced academic initiatives. I offer here my thanks to the faculty, students, and staff who have done so much for CLAS in 1998-99.
A highlight of any year is the outstanding group of students who take degrees from CLAS. For example, among our undergraduates, we find that eight students completed their degrees with perfect 4.0 grade point averages, and another 61 students showed GPAs better than 3.90. This is not the result of grade inflation, as the CLAS average GPA has changed very little in the past 10 years. These students got their grades the old fashioned way; they earned them. Our graduate students do equally well, although we tend to focus more on their research accomplishments rather than classroom performance. Our new Gator graduates are finding ready opportunities in a receptive marketplace.
The faculty haven't done too shabbily themselves. Obviously, space here precludes even a partial listing of the prizes, awards, grants, and honors they have received, whereby they gain recognition for themselves, CLAS, and UF. Our faculty are involved in national and international studies of great significance. They are in constant demand from numerous agencies, foundations, and the press as sources of expertise and information.
We welcomed a new group of about 30 faculty last fall, and during 1998-99 we have recruited and hired another similar new faculty class to begin Fall, 1999. Of course, we lose some good faculty each year to retirement or career moves, but the overall number of CLAS faculty is increasing, as it must to meet the needs of a growing student body.
In outside research funding, we came near the $30 million level, a tribute to faculty skill in gaining nationally competitive awards. These funds are so important in paying for research equipment, supplies, student salaries, etc. They also serve as measures of faculty quality, since the awards are generally decided by peer review, in which selected faculty from other universities sit on review panels that evaluate and decide whose projects are most worthy of support. More and more, CLAS faculty are the benefactors of their decisions.
Private funding was another highlight of the year. CLAS received over $10 million from alumni, faculty, and friends to fund many critical academic needs, including scholarships, fellowships, professorships, new programs, and facility renovations. Of course, it is the good experience that our alumni have while at UF that influences their willingness to give back to the University later in life. Whether they attended in the 1930s or the 1990s, Gators retain a strong love for this place. And I believe our current graduating class take with them an experience that will reward the fundraising efforts of future deans, department chairs, and faculty.
Lots of other good things have happened this year, but I won't overextend this column in trying to list them all. A very significant addition has been the Keene Faculty Center, housed in Dauer Hall, which has rapidly become a popular site for many types of events. It has proved to be not only beautiful, but very functional, and something that we have needed for a long time. In addition, we are commencing the total renovation of Anderson Hall and Keene-Flint Hall, two of the original UF buildings that had fallen into serious disrepair. By late fall of 2000, these two architectural jewels should be transformed to their former proud state among the most beautiful buildings on campus. This time, with air conditioning.
Wait, there's more. We appointed 60 undergraduate students in the provost's first round of University Scholars Program, along with an equal number of faculty mentors. We are continuing the renovation of Rolfs Hall, and we are also in the process of renovating Williamson Hall for the Department of Geology. New elevators were installed in Dauer and Rolfs Hall. And, and, and....
Thanks again to all who helped make this year such a success.
Credits
Writer
Will Harrison, Dean
