Dear USF community,
I am thrilled to share that the University of South Florida has reached a historic milestone that will have far-reaching impacts for generations to come. USF has accepted an invitation to join the Association of American Universities (AAU), the most prestigious association in higher education. To be invited by our peers to join the AAU and now officially be recognized by them as one of the nation’s leading research universities is a monumental achievement.
As announced today, USF is one of six universities invited to join the AAU. We are the first public university in Florida to be invited to join the AAU in nearly 40 years and are now one of two institutions from the State University System of Florida to serve as AAU members. Notably, our university is also among the youngest institutions to be welcomed into the AAU. Of the association’s now 71 members, USF is the fifth youngest and one of only six AAU universities to be founded after 1950.
AAU’s membership criteria align with our university’s mission to positively shape the future of society. The association considers factors such as research activity, faculty excellence and the quality of educational programs, as well as student graduation rates and the number of students who receive Pell Grants. More information on the AAU’s membership criteria is available here.
There are many reasons why the USF community, Tampa Bay region and the state of Florida will benefit greatly from our AAU membership, including:
- USF is already among the most research-intensive universities in the nation, and joining the AAU will advance our research profile even further. AAU universities receive the majority of competitively awarded federal funding for research. According to the AAU, faculty at their member universities perform 63% of the total amount of federally funded basic research ($28.8 billion).
- Becoming an AAU member allows us to add to our already world-class faculty and students. The top students, scholars, employees and entrepreneurs gravitate to the most esteemed universities, particularly when those institutions are located in large metropolitan areas like ours. In the past year, USF received a record number of applications from students, and we welcomed the largest and highest-achieving class of first-year students in our history. As an AAU member, we are poised to build upon this recent success.
- USF already plays a key role in attracting new businesses to our region, which often bring thousands of high-paying jobs with them, and we are now even better positioned to help drive economic development as an AAU member.
- Joining the AAU places USF at the forefront of helping shape the future of higher education, science and innovation, and it allows our university to play an even bigger role in promoting best practices in undergraduate and graduate education while also strengthening the contributions of leading research universities to American society.
We earned this distinction because of the determination and relentless pursuit of excellence by our outstanding students, faculty, staff, alumni and other supporters.
I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to our past university leadership — especially USF President Emerita Judy Genshaft and Provost Emeritus Ralph Wilcox — for continually advocating for our university’s vision and supporting our bold aspirations. I would also like to thank our current and past members of the USF Board of Trustees, the Florida Board of Governors, and our state and federal elected officials for their ongoing support.
When I served as chair of the Board of Trustees, I vividly remember when USF first included AAU eligibility in our strategic plan 16 years ago and set our sights on a day like today. We should all be proud of our unwavering pursuit of this goal, because reaching it will only strengthen our ambition to transform lives and create a better future.
I thank each of you for all you continue to do to advance our remarkable path forward, and we look forward to celebrating this accomplishment in the weeks and months ahead.
In Bull Pride,
Rhea F. Law
President