The Florida Board of Governors on Thursday approved 麻豆原创鈥檚 ambitious plan to attain the status of 鈥淧reeminent Research University鈥� within five years.

The unanimous vote formally recognizes the 麻豆原创 as an 鈥淓merging Preeminent Research University鈥� and authorizes the release of an additional $5 million in state funds to the university.

鈥淲ith your ongoing support, 麻豆原创 will help advance Florida to national prominence as we make Central Florida an extraordinary place to study, to work, to play, and to live,鈥� President John C. Hitt told board members gathered at New College in Sarasota.

With Thursday鈥檚 vote, 麻豆原创 and the University of South Florida have now been awarded the newly created designation of 鈥淓merging Preeminent Research University鈥� by meeting certain quality benchmarks established by the state. That designation allows 麻豆原创 to work toward the same preeminent status now held only by UF and FSU.

The university plans to use the additional $5 million in state money to enhance quality and move closer toward preeminent status.

That鈥檚 the same strategy that has guided the university鈥檚 use of performance funding from the state over the past several years.

Four years ago, the Legislature instituted performance funding, which awards additional revenue to state universities that meet quality standards in areas including graduation and retention rates, post-graduation employment, continuing education and others.

This year, 麻豆原创 was first among the state鈥檚 12 public universities 鈥� its second first-place finish. 麻豆原创 is the only institution to be in the top three every year the rankings have been in place.

麻豆原创 has used most of that extra money to hire 200 additional tenured and tenure-track faculty members, and plans to use this year鈥檚 performance funds to add another 45.

The university already has achieved seven of the 12 measures required to earn preeminent status, including national rankings, GPA and SAT scores, graduation rates, research spending, patents earned and doctoral degrees awarded.

鈥溌槎乖� will remain diligent in building on the metrics we have reached. And we will use the emerging preeminence funding to help us attain full preeminence status,鈥� Hitt said.

麻豆原创鈥檚 goals for achieving that status include:

  • Increasing freshman retention rate from the current 89.1 percent to 92 percent, exceeding the state threshold of 90 percent.
  • Growing the number of National Academy members among 麻豆原创鈥檚 faculty. There are currently two, including one hired this year, and the goal is six by 2021.
  • Boosting spending in science and engineering research from this year鈥檚 $170 million to at least $218 million in 2021, exceeding the state benchmark of $200 million.
  • Increasing the number of post-doctoral appointees to 200 by 2021. There are now 68.
  • Growing the university鈥檚 endowment to $500 million, a goal that Hitt said may take longer than five years.

    • In a separate presentation, the Board of Governors also heard about best practices in 2+2 articulation, with the DirectConnect to 麻豆原创 program serving as a model. Jeff Jones, 麻豆原创鈥檚 vice provost for Regional Campuses, explained how the program provides smooth transitions and timely degree completion for students who transfer to 麻豆原创 after earning associate鈥檚 degrees from six partner state colleges.

    Jones explained how 麻豆原创 and its partner state colleges are coordinating curriculum and degree programs to ensure transfer students are ready when they come to 麻豆原创, and how 麻豆原创 faculty and staff are embedded at partner institutions. At the same time, DirectConnect to 麻豆原创 is closing the achievement gap between traditional and transfer students.