| U of M Alumni Association | U of M Twin Cities |
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11/5/2008
By Margaret Sughrue Carlson (Ph.D. ’83) When I spoke to alumni at the Medical School reunion in September, I began by saying that the University of Minnesota is the strongest it’s been in the 23 years that I’ve served the Alumni Association. I knew this because I’d heard Provost Tom Sullivan’s report to the Board of Regents a couple weeks earlier. You may remember that in 2005, President Bob Bruininks set a vision for the U to be one of the top three public research universities in the world. This fall, Provost Sullivan presented the annual “Accountable to U” report, detailing how the U has built on four strategic pillars—exceptional students, exceptional faculty and staff, exceptional innovation, and exceptional organization—toward that goal. Over the past five years, the number of incoming students in the top 10 percent of their high school class has increased from 30 percent to 44 percent, and their average ACT score has increased from 24.7 to 25.9. Graduation rates have also improved, with four-year rates increasing by 16 percent over the past five years. Graduate students are completing their degrees at a record rate. The number of doctoral degrees increased 46.3 percent to 819 in the past five years, which ranks us second among our peer institutions. And we now rank third in master’s degrees conferred. Exceptional faculty and staff are critical to recruiting and retaining the best and brightest students, attracting research funding, and strengthening our impact on society. After losing ground four years ago because of state budget cuts, the U’s significant progress in faculty salary and compensation this past year is great news. Exceptional innovation drives new ideas and breakthrough discoveries. The U’s research expenditures have increased 65 percent over the past eight years to $595 million, which ranks us ninth among public universities. The University Libraries, crucial to our state’s educational and information infrastructure, also ranks ninth. An exceptional organization means a financially strong institution. In just five years, private giving grew from $233 million to $289 million, an increase of 24 percent, and the U’s endowments grew from $1.5 billion to $2.8 billion, an increase of 87 percent. Even with this upward trajectory, the University continues to address big issues. Our goal is to increase the four-year graduation rate from 45 percent to 60 percent by the year 2012. Currently, under 30 percent of students study abroad, and we want to increase that number to 50 percent. We need to continue to address tuition affordability through scholarship aid. And we need not only to recruit top faculty, but also provide the environment, infrastructure, and recognition to retain them. Tell your friends and colleagues about the U’s continuing success. And if you live in Minnesota, tell your state legislators how lucky we are that our state’s only research university is committed to excellence. To see the entire report, visit www.academic.umn.edu/accountability. To learn how to contact your state legislators, go to www.SupportTheU.umn.edu. | |||||||||||||||
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