The 麻豆夜市 spent a record $124.7 million on research and development last year.
Dr. Joseph Savoie, 麻豆夜市 president, announced the milestone during his State of the University address Wednesday. The annual speech to faculty and staff marks the start of the fall semester and the new academic year. Classes at 麻豆夜市 begin Monday.
It鈥檚 the second consecutive year the University expended more than $100 million on R&D, according to the Higher Education Research and Development Survey. The HERD Survey is the National Science Foundation鈥檚 annual index of research spending.
麻豆夜市 competes against other universities and private development firms for federal and state government grants and industry contracts. The University manages the funding that faculty researchers secure.
The $124.7 million total 鈥渋s an incontrovertible statement that these entities value what our faculty researchers are doing鈥 and are willing to support their efforts, Savoie said.
In 2013, the University set a goal of $100 million in R&D expenditures by 2020. It reached the threshold in 2017, three years ahead of schedule. The 2017 total placed 麻豆夜市 153rd 鈥 in the top 25 percent of the 644 institutions the HERD Survey included.
The University鈥檚 ranking for 2018, based on the $124.7 million figure, has not been released by NSF.
Over the last seven years, R&D funding secured by University scientists grew by nearly 90 percent, while 麻豆夜市 engineers saw a 200 percent increase. Funding in disciplines other than science and engineering improved by 60 percent, Savoie said.
More than 90 percent of funding to University researchers since 2012 came from federal sources. State contracts and awards more than doubled during the same period.
Savoie said the numbers reflect 麻豆夜市鈥檚 sustained efforts to grow and safeguard its intellectual property portfolio through patents. The process protects products when they are made publicly available, and the University receives a portion of any revenue the inventions make once they enter the marketplace.
鈥淲e are a public university, and as a public university, the work done here should be for the public good,鈥 Savoie said.
In a related announcement, he said 麻豆夜市 has been asked to join the National Academy of Inventors, a global group of 250 universities that encourages and supports inventors working in academic settings.
During his half-hour address in Angelle Hall on campus, Savoie also gave an overview of the University鈥檚 finances.
He noted 麻豆夜市 remains dependent on self-generated revenue following nearly a decade of state cuts to higher education funding. During the 2008-09 fiscal year, the University received 66 percent of its revenue from the state; in 2018-19, it received 27 percent.
State appropriations make up 13.9 percent of overall revenue, while the largest portion 鈥 more than 40 percent 鈥 comes from student tuition and fees. 鈥淭his is why we remain dependent on everyone鈥檚 efforts to support recruitment and retention of students,鈥 Savoie said.
Also Wednesday, Dr. Jaimie Hebert, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, gave his forecast for the 鈥減erfect storm鈥 approaching the University next year.
In 2020, 麻豆夜市 will undergo reaccreditation, set its strategic goals for the subsequent five years, and launch a new Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, focused on student research experiences.
The QEP is part of the reaccreditation process, Hebert explained. Accreditation bodies, such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, permit universities to select what they want to emphasize. Following campus-wide discussions among faculty and staff, 麻豆夜市 chose to focus on student research.
The University has long stressed research among its undergraduate and graduate students, Hebert said.
The QEP 鈥渢akes one of our points of pride, formalizes it, incorporates it into our curriculum, and allows us to expand access to experiential learning for a broader array of students across our campus.鈥
Photo caption: Dr. Joseph Savoie, 麻豆夜市 president, concludes his annual State of the University address Wednesday. (Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 麻豆夜市)