The University of Florida Strategic Plan

Charles E. Young
August 2002

Executive Summary
A Synergy of State and University Interests
Introduction
Formulation of the Strategic Plan
The Need for Greater Funding from all Available Sources
The Quality and Reputation of UF
The Colleges
Hiring, Developing, and Retaining Top Quality Faculty
Enhancing Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs
Infrastructure and Facility Needs
University Strategies for Maximum Impact
Undergraduate Programs
Efficiencies
Implementation
Conclusion
Summary of Recommendations

Appendices:
"A Strategic Approach to Accomplish the University's Goals and Its Long Term Success," Charles E. Young
"A Report to the President," Task Force on the Future of the University of Florida
"A Strategic Plan for UF," David Colburn
"Toward the Development of a Strategic Plan: University of Florida," The Washington Advisory Group, LLC Member biographies, The Washington Advisory Group, LLC

1. The Provost, in consultation with the deans, will develop a plan to invest in the four colleges in the educational core (Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Agricultural and Life Sciences within the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and Medicine). The plan will:
Identify the central disciplines in the colleges
Formulate an investment strategy in selected areas in these disciplines as part of a coherent overall strategy to raise the reputations of the departments and the colleges
Develop a method to assess the success of faculty, chairs, and deans in implementing the strategy.

2. UF will strengthen its faculty support programs, including salaries, sabbaticals, family issues, diversity, and leadership development. UF will strengthen its faculty and their ability to concentrate their efforts through vigorous recruitment strategies, revised tenure and promotion policies, and establishment of a career instructional track.

3. UF will continue to expand and strengthen the graduate and postdoctoral programs through vigorous recruitment, and enhanced stipends and benefits.
4. A state-of-the-art Information Technology system must be built to meet the needs of faculty and students in research and teaching.

5. UF must adopt institutional strategies unique to its position, circumstances, and strengths that will achieve maximum impact and enhance its reputation. In particular, UF must foster the following interdisciplinary research and instructional programs on an institutional level:
Research in cancer and genetics
Research on the brain
Developments in biotechnology, particularly at the interface of medicine and nanoscience
Investigation of social and medical problems associated with Aging
Research into the status of children and families
Research in ecology and the environment
Internationalization of the campus and the curriculum

6. UF must continue to strengthen and enhance its undergraduate programs. These include:
Developing undergraduate programs to meet critical state shortages in teaching, nursing, and information technology
Establishing a strong and innovative campus-wide undergraduate writing program
Developing an integrated undergraduate program in biology
Strengthening language instruction
Emphasizing these five areas for undergraduates:
- Research with faculty
- Study abroad
- Volunteer service
- Leadership opportunities
- Internships

7. UF must develop a process to achieve academic and administrative efficiencies on an ongoing basis to enhance academic offerings and research programs, and to address critical state needs.

INTRODUCTION

Florida faces dramatic challenges in this century, and the University must be a leader in helping the state to address them. Currently the fourth largest state in the nation, it is undergoing a significant transition as its burgeoning population transforms the state's formerly agrarian economy into an urban one. This is clearly a time when the University of Florida must develop increased capability to meet the changing needs of the state it serves. To do so, it must realize its potential as a major player in American and international higher education and research. These two goals are not in conflict as some might surmise, but are truly synergistic in nature.

The rapid pace of immigration and the state's unusually rich ethnic diversity contribute to its dynamism, on the one hand, and pose important social challenges, on the other. The education of children, the stability of families, and a growing population of senior citizens all need careful thought and attention. UF's talent for investigating and understanding these social problems in new and creative ways uniquely positions the University to devise innovative solutions to them. In order to compete in the 21st century, the state needs to broaden its economic base and to develop and attract new industry. Based on their solid records of achievement, the University's scientific, technological, and entrepreneurial enterprises can serve as a platform to foster robust growth. All of this growth and development will occur in an ecosystem that is particularly fragile and among the most beautiful and unique in the nation. Since the state derives a significant portion of its income from tourism, the ecosystem must be understood, restored, and preserved. The University's major initiatives in ecology, natural resources and the environment, agriculture, and water are turning increasingly to this project.

Those states with which Florida should be compared have recognized the ability of world-class universities to assist the state's growth and, consequently, have invested in at least one state institution of that caliber. Most of the largest states have created more than one top-ranked institution. The return on each state's investment is measurable, demonstrable, and significant. It includes a highly educated citizenry and workforce, attraction and stimulation of industry, assistance in developing the social infrastructure of the state, and transfer of new knowledge, patents and devices for the public's benefit. Florida must have at least one institution of this caliber to remain competitive and to meet the economic and educational needs of its citizens. The FBOE's recently adopted Strategic Imperative affirms this in "Achieving world-class nationally recognized institutions of higher learning by improving access, funding, performance, and accountability." The University of Florida should not ultimately be the only such university but clearly must be the first, given its current status and history.

UF has always honored its mission as the state's premier land grant, research extensive, public university. Indeed, the University continues to see itself as a statewide resource with a mandate to address the needs of all Floridians through it education, research, outreach, and extensions programs. Throughout its history, the University has provided high quality instruction to prepare the future leaders of the state and nation; it has pursued cutting-edge research leading to the creation of new knowledge; and it has transferred that research to the public sector to address critical state and national needs. Its rapid evolution in the last thirty years is perhaps best illustrated by its admission in 1985 into the prestigious Association of American Universities. During this period, the University increased its enrollment and its academic programs with gusto. It currently ranks among the top five universities in the nation in the number of degrees and programs available to its nearly 47,000 students. This rampant growth was in response to immediate student and state demands, but the exceedingly large number of programs now spreads our human and financial resources too thinly and jeopardizes our commitment to excellence. It also compromises the University's mission and limits our ability to help develop the state economy in important ways.

Fortunately, the need to increase the University's capabilities comes at a time when a confluence of events and circumstances in the state is giving the University community increased authority and ability to shape our future. We are offered the unparalleled opportunity to raise UF into the ranks of the nation's great universities and to assist the State of Florida to meet the challenges that lie before it.

Chief among our changed circumstances is the state government's move to devolve authority for university decisions to local control. On January 8, 2003, UF ceases to be a state agency and becomes instead a public corporation. The UF Board of Trustees will be invested with much of the authority that formerly was held centrally by the Board of Regents and the Florida Board of Education. We are fortunate to have a Board of Trustees comprised of talented professionals who are dedicated to advancing UF and who have already forged a dynamic partnership with the University administration.

FORMULATION OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN

I am pleased to serve as President of this remarkable university and to do so at a unique moment in Florida history. I take special pride in serving as President because I believe that true greatness is within UF's grasp, the realization of which will poise UF to help Florida achieve its rightful place among its sister states. It is my intention to start the University along this path with the development of this strategic plan.

The goal of this plan, as I stated in my charge to University colleagues, is just that: to raise the University of Florida into the ranks of this nation's truly great universities. In this document, I outline the steps needed to move UF into the highest ranks of excellence. The concurrence of the university community with this plan and its hard work in implementing it will be needed to achieve this, but the goal is well within reach.

In preparing this plan for presentation to the UF Board of Trustees, I have benefited from the reports of three groups that have considered carefully my January 23, 2002 charge "to help us plan for the University's future in a manner that will ensure its continued advancement and its place among the leading public research universities in this nation." The Presidential Task Force on the Future of the University of Florida consisted of 18 faculty, administrators, trustees and students who studied this problem intensively over the course of the Spring 2002 semester. It convened over 40 times, including meetings of committees that dealt with particular parts of the academic program, and produced a 28-page report (a copy of which is attached) that provided much of the basic information and recommendations that are contained herein.

Concurrently and independently, the Provost, in consultation with the vice presidents, the deans, and a faculty focus group, also studied the problem and submitted a report to me which contained analyses and recommendations which, while essentially consistent with those of the Task Force, delved more deeply into detailed budget matters than could have been possible by the faculty committee. Again, much of what appears below is a result of that product.

Finally, we were assisted at several stages of this process by a team of consultants from The Washington Advisory Group who followed the deliberations of the Task Force and regularly reviewed the work of the Provost and his colleagues. They provided an external perspective that was extremely valuable in enhancing the quality of this opus. We are grateful to the firm in general, and especially to Stanley Ikenberry, Frank Rhodes, Frank Press, and Daniel Tosteson. You will find professional background information for these valuable advisors in one of the appendices to this document.

I am grateful to these three groups for the clarity they have brought to the discussion. I have not hesitated to incorporate their best thoughts below. As indebted as I am for their contributions, I cannot shift any of the onus for errors or omissions to them. I take full responsibility for the conclusions and recommendations that follow.

The Need for Greater Funding from all Available Sources

To reach the goal of becoming a "truly great" University, the University of Florida must strive to become one of the top ten public research universities, and one of the top twenty universities, public or private, in the nation. This will require a wise investment of resources, calculated to achieve maximum impact in the academic community, industry, government, and the public sphere. Faculty and administrators must make clever and bold choices and manage efficiently and effectively all the funds at their disposal.

But insightful planning and careful management alone cannot do the job. Additional resources will be needed. This need plays such a major role in UF's ability to achieve its goals that it is useful to explore this assertion in detail in this section and to revisit it in subsequent sections dealing with specific recommendations.

The intensity and scope of the University's research program must grow substantially. Much, but not all, of the increased research effort can be funded from federal and corporate contracts and grants, and the University must pursue funding increases from these sources vigorously. These monies are extremely valuable to UF's research enterprise, as are those received from private gifts and grants, which must also be increased substantially. These funds, however, are mostly targeted for very specific purposes and cannot be used in a flexible manner to finance truly creative and innovative endeavors. Finding an ample source of flexible funds is an imperative.

The same considerations hold true for state appropriations. We must strive to obtain a greater level of University funding through the legislative process. Equally importantly, we must do everything we can to convince those who control the process that the University community itself can maximize the value of the state's investments if given the ability to make decisions about their use.

Ultimately, to have a level of resources commensurate with those of the top universities in the nation, UF must have some control over its tuition and fees. These provide, for both public and private universities, the most flexible of funds. The University currently has the lowest tuition and fees among all 63 members of the AAU. Among all public universities, the State of Florida University System currently ranks 49th in tuition nationally. The great public research universities in this nation generate three and four times as much tuition revenue as UF. The University of Florida cannot expect to compete effectively with the top ten public universities if it has $50 to $100 million less in tuition revenue to work with, no matter how innovative or efficient UF becomes, or how much increased revenue it can obtain from other sources.

In the next legislative cycle, we are asking the state to complete the process of devolution which was begun two years ago, giving the university greater control of its resources, including the ability to set tuition and fees. This must be our highest legislative priority. Not only will this help to provide the resources needed for this strategic plan, but, as the Provost has argued cogently in his report to me, it will increase access to higher education for those from modest economic backgrounds.

The Quality and Reputation of UF

No university can do everything and be a national and international leader. A clear focus and carefully defined priorities must be selected, based on the institutional mission and on the thoughtful advice of the UF community and other university, government, and industry representatives. The best universities are advantaged by this careful planning, a commitment to excellence by faculty, staff, alumni, and donors, and by a determination to invest in those university priorities that enhance quality.

A comprehensive research university like UF offers enormous latitude in choosing investment priorities. From an academic point of view, primary consideration should be given to those areas offering the greatest potential to further understand the universe and our place in it through the discovery, creation, dissemination, and application of new knowledge. From a more prosaic point of view, primary consideration should be given to those investments that have the potential to enhance most significantly the University's reputation. One should not apologize for looking at "reputation" in an undertaking such as this. In the first instance, if one examines the right indices, it is as good a marker for quality as can be found. In the second, it is very clear that a reputation as a strong university growing in quality is a great help in obtaining the resources needed to accomplish that purpose. This is especially true in attracting the best faculty and graduate students, whose arrival will further enhance the quality and reputation.

As a measure of stature, University reputations are an amalgam of the reputations of their colleges, their departments, and the faculty. The derivation of these reputations is a complex and largely unscientific process relying on many factors. It depends on the size, quality, and productivity of the faculty, and on the excellence of their scholarly achievements. The depth and vigor of the individual, departmental, college, and institutional research programs are important factors influencing reputation, as are the quality and size of the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral programs. Alumni play a large role in determining a university's reputation through the roles they play in society and through their commitment and investment in UF. A university's reputation is largely dependent on its impact in fields of social, cultural, and scientific inquiry important to scholars, industry, government, and the public. Increasingly, universities are measured by the concrete changes they effect in social systems and in state economies through "tech transfer." As we implement a strategic plan, we must remain mindful of the manifold considerations in the term "reputation."

In comparisons of global indicators of university success, UF ranks quite highly. For example, in the NSF report Federal Science and Engineering Support to Universities, Colleges and Nonprofit Institutions: Fiscal Year 2000, UF stands at 38th in the nation in total federal support for research and development and at 19th among AAU public universities. Improving these global indicators is a process as complex as improving a university's reputation. University successes depend on institution-wide initiatives and policies, college priorities, and department and individual teaching and research programs. It is critical that we optimize allocation of our limited resources in those areas that promise the greatest returns in enhancing the university's reputation and its measured indicators of success in meeting the needs of students and faculty and in addressing state priorities.

The Colleges

In A Strategic Approach to Accomplish the University's Goals and Its Long Term Success, dated January 18,2002, I described in some detail the historical and current status of the several colleges and programs of UF, categorizing them according to mission, uniqueness, perceived quality, and other factors. Rather than repeating that analysis here, I refer the reader to that document, which is included as one of the Appendices to this proposed plan (esp. pages 4-7). My views, and I think those of the other reviewing bodies, have not changed in substance from that presentation.

Suffice it to say here that each of those colleges makes a critical contribution in its special way to the University of Florida. In the intervening process there has been discussion of possible changes in organization including potential mergers or reallocation of specific programs. Some of those discussions will continue as a result of the findings and recommendations set forth below. There is, however, no suggestion that any of the programs should be terminated.

What has emerged, as I had hoped, is a determination that certain of those colleges and programs should be singled out for priority treatment. This section will deal with those conclusions, the rationale' for the choices and the implications of that prioritization.

The three strategic planning reports submitted to me indicate clearly that our efforts to raise the stature of the University must be concentrated on strengthening substantially the educational core of the university. At the core of every great university exists a first-rate College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It is in this College that faculty carry on the great traditions of western universities in the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural, physical, and mathematical sciences. The academic quality of any university is largely tied to the reputation of the academic disciplines found in this College. Without a first-rate College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), UF will not achieve the goals we pursue, nor will it fulfill its fundamental obligations to the state.

Many top research universities also have at their core Colleges of Medicine (COM) and Engineering (COE), and both have been central in UF's history. Because of the nature of scientific and technological inquiry in the natural, physical, and mathematical sciences, the fortunes of these colleges are often inextricably bound together. These colleges have strong faculties and teaching and research programs. But to realize the goals of this strategic plan, we must strengthen their central disciplines substantially. Within each college, there are strengths and weaknesses that need to be assessed and prioritized for improvement in light of the strategic goals.

The 21st century is often referred to as the "century of biology and the brain," and in fact, the biological sciences form a large component of most top universities' research agendas. The University's research agenda in this area spans all four core colleges: CLAS, COE, the College of Medicine (COM), and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). UF must remain a major player in these areas of research and assume a leadership role in carefully chosen sectors of the field. To accomplish this, the University's investment strategy in the biological and life sciences must be part of a coherent plan to integrate the talents, resources, and research agendas of these four units. The first step in this direction is being taken in the rapid development of the Genetics Institute by these four units, to be housed in a new state-of-the-art facility devoted to research in genetics and cancer. UF has also named several research thrusts in these areas as institution-wide research priorities. The strategic plans submitted to me have all suggested, however, that there is a significant gap that must be addressed. They emphasized that UF must build strength in molecular and cellular biology and in related fields such as genetics and structural biology within CLAS, as most leading research universities have done, to bolster and supplement programs that exist in Medicine and Agriculture and the Life Sciences. The external consultants named this the single highest priority in the CLAS initiative.

The magnitude of the investment required to develop and maintain a nationally recognized research program in the biological and life sciences is large, and, in particular, the resources needed to fill the gap are substantial. It is a required investment in the 21st century for leading research universities, however, and UF must not shy away from it. Because of the large sums involved, faculty and administrators have a special responsibility to make every dollar count. They should develop a master plan for the research agendas and their funding priorities to insure that this diversity of activity yields a synergy of effort and not a dissipation of resources.

In consultation with the deans, the Provost should develop a precise plan to invest in CLAS, COE, IFAS, and COM. The plan's specific goals should be to:
Determine central disciplines in the Colleges.
Formulate an investment strategy in selected areas in these disciplines as part of a coherent overall strategy to raise the reputations of the departments and the Colleges.
Develop a method to assess the success of the faculty, chairs, and deans in implementing the strategy.

This plan will not succeed simply by adding money to carefully chosen units. Success of the strategic plan depends critically on balancing the following considerations in each unit:

1. Hiring, developing, and retaining top quality, productive faculty
2. Enhancing the graduate and postdoctoral programs in scope and quality
3. Ensuring infrastructure and facility needs are met
4. Implementing deliberate strategies at the departmental, college, and institutional levels to achieve maximum impact

Subsequent sections of this plan will address points 1 through 4 above.


HIRING, DEVELOPING, AND RETAINING TOP QUALITY FACULTY

Each department and college reputation is built on the successes of individual faculty members and teams of researchers. UF can become one of the truly great universities in the nation only if its faculty members are among the best in the nation. The best faculty can be recruited and retained only if UF offers competitive salaries and benefits and a supportive and stimulating academic environment.

Current salaries at UF rank in the bottom quartile among AAU public universities and only around the median when adjusted for cost-of-living. UF's fringe benefits package also ranks just below the median for AAU public universities. These circumstances must improve if this strategic plan is to be successful. In cooperation with the Provost and the BOT, I will seek to improve faculty salaries at all levels throughout the University. The University has already begun this process through the Salary Performance Plan for Professors, currently in its third year. Through this plan, sustained achievement at a high level of excellence in research, teaching, and service is recognized with a significant salary raise on a seven-year cycle.

Faculty engaged in vigorous research and teaching programs must have the opportunity for periodic professional renewal through a sabbatical program. The current program is inadequate, and I will ask the Provost to devise a plan to make significantly more one-semester full pay sabbaticals available.

Faculty recruits often express keen interest in how the University addresses family concerns and to what degree UF fosters a family-friendly environment. I ask the Provost, with the Deans, to review these issues, including tenure and promotion policies, employment of a trailing spouse and child-care.

UF must assist faculty members in obtaining national and international recognition for their work. Both faculty and administrators should highlight exceptional work of colleagues in meetings and publications and should nominate them for appropriate awards and recognitions. Part of any university's reputation is built on faculty members who have achieved nationally recognized distinctions such as membership in national academies. I have examined this issue very carefully, and it is clear to me that the number of UF faculty members holding memberships in these bodies is not commensurate with the quality of the faculty. Those faculty members who are in the ranks of these organizations must become advocates for their colleagues who are deserving of such recognition. I will ask the Provost, the Vice President for Research, and the Vice President for Public Relations to develop a strategy for improvement in this area involving, in an appropriate fashion, those highly recognized UF scholars whose help will be vital to success.

Faculty must have the opportunity to grow in scholarship, to develop leadership skills, and to polish their teaching techniques. If the University is to advance, it must have a long-term program of faculty development and evaluation. Sustained development of leadership skills among faculty is needed to insure the vitality of shared faculty governance, to foster the development of interdisciplinary projects and programs, and to refresh the leadership of academic and administrative units. The university's success depends on the ability of faculty members to formulate a vision for their units and to initiate strategies to realize unit goals. Faculty should share in developing these programs, and I encourage faculty to participate in shared governance through the Faculty Senate, departments, and colleges. I will ask the Provost to formulate mechanisms to promote and advance leadership skills of faculty, particularly among women and minorities, and I will work to further strengthen faculty participation.

Diversifying the faculty is a goal UF must achieve to maintain the vitality of the faculty and the student body. In some respects the University has been quite successful, ranking 12th nationally among all universities in both the number of African American and the number of Hispanic students who have received Ph.D.s in the past six years. But substantial improvements must be made in the faculty ranks, and I will ask the Provost to consider innovative recruiting and retention methods to improve faculty diversity.

Two of the most important decisions made about faculty are those having to do with promotion and tenure: they are the principal means by which the quality of the institution is maintained and developed. Before awarding tenure, the University must be convinced that the faculty member will be a productive scholar, teacher, and leader in the long term. Faculty members should have an appropriate period of time to establish a record of achievements that reasonably predicts their future success. Current University policy provides for a five-year period, and faculty in various disciplines feel intense pressure to bring important work to fruition. This leads to presentation of tenure packets that do not reflect the true potential of candidates. A full six years to tenure would be consistent with the policy at many research universities and would provide a substantial period in which a faculty member could establish a significant record as a teacher, scholar, and colleague. This change should not prevent faculty members who establish a substantial record of achievements prior to six years from achieving tenure earlier.

As they develop their professional careers and establish a record of achievements, junior faculty need appropriate guidance to realize the goals set by departments, colleges, and the University. Consequently, the University should develop a formal three-year review process for all tenure-accruing faculty. The results of the review process should be used primarily to provide feedback to junior faculty so they can focus their efforts in appropriate areas to fulfill University expectations for tenure and promotion.

As it implements the strategic plan, the University must ensure that it meets its multiple responsibilities. These include preparing future leaders of society through high quality instruction, pursuing cutting-edge research leading to new knowledge, and transferring that research to the public sphere to address critical state and national needs. The University must balance these missions appropriately at the departmental and individual levels.

As the research mission of the faculty is strengthened, how will the teaching mission of the departments be safeguarded and improved? The last decade's growth in the undergraduate population, the continued expansion of graduate education, and the development of web-based instructional programs are straining UF's ability to maintain the outstanding teaching program for which this institution is justly known. Most of the University's counterparts in the AAU, both public and private, meet this challenge with the assistance of a limited number of teaching/instructional faculty. Because UF has not followed this path, it has classes that are much larger in size than most universities, and other instructional needs are left unmet. Alongside the research/teaching track currently used at UF, the Provost should institute a career instructional track for faculty whose primary assignment is in the areas of instruction, pedagogical development, and service. Careful thought should be given to relatively limited use of these faculty members. They should be recruited nationally and have the same opportunities for promotion, benefits, and professional development as faculty in other tracks at this University.

ENHANCING GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL PROGRAMS

The University's reputation and success depend heavily on the size and quality of its graduate program. Graduate students represent the next generation of scholars and entrepreneurs who stand to create knowledge and promote economic growth in the state and the nation. We educate them as they make the transition from students to colleagues. For our own benefit, they must have the most extensive experiences we can offer them. In return, they stimulate and assist faculty in their research projects. Their impressions of their UF experiences will play a large role in determining the University's reputation as they move into the upper echelons of academe, industry, and government. Because the relative size of the UF graduate program ranks below the relative size of graduate programs in the top universities around the nation, the University began to increase the graduate student population on campus, while limiting growth in the undergraduate population.

I endorse the current plan to increase graduate enrollment by 3,000 students over the next eight years. To accommodate this growth while maintaining a campus student population of 45,000 as designated in the approved enrollment growth plan, the University will maintain freshman admissions at 6500 per year and limit the number of part-time students on campus. This moves UF in the correct direction, but the graduate program needs significant strengthening in other ways, as well.

There is intense national competition to recruit the best prospects for graduate school. In this competition, the reputations of the University, the college, the department, and, often most importantly, one or more faculty members, are of paramount importance. A student investigating potential graduate schools will probably produce a list of five to ten top schools based on these reputations. Other criteria then enter the decision to choose a school. These often include the general academic atmosphere, the physical plant and facilities, and the location of the school. A comparison of stipends and benefits is often a deciding factor, and in this area, UF lags behind its AAU counterparts. The Alumni Fellowship program is nationally competitive, but barely so. UF must improve the stipends for graduate assistants, provide health insurance, and strengthen the Alumni Fellowship program.

Infusing more financial resources is just one step to enhance the graduate program, among many more that need to be taken. Deans, department chairs, and faculty must pay serious attention to recruiting, mentoring, retention, placement, and assessment. Because students often choose graduate school based on areas of excellence in a department and even on the specialties of individual faculty members, success in recruiting depends largely on the motivation, enthusiasm, and active participation of faculty in the units.

Personal and active contact with potential students is a must. As graduate students arrive and progress through their programs, the faculty has a responsibility to include them in the academic life of the department, to help them develop and refine their teaching skills, and to assist them in understanding and navigating the professional academic culture. A good retention rate and a reasonable time-to-degree for graduate students are good indicators that these responsibilities are taken seriously in departments. Where retention rate is low or where time-to-degree is unreasonably long, I will ask college deans, department chairs, and the Dean of the Graduate School to investigate and rectify the situation.

Every investment in a graduate student must count. Placement of graduating students reflects back on the University and should be undertaken seriously. A University's reputation is determined largely by the numbers of highly placed alumni in academe, government, and industry. I will ask the deans to develop state-of-the-art placement services.

The University also lags behind its AAU counterparts in the number of postdoctoral scholars and fellows pursuing research on campus. Not only do postdocs add to the general academic milieu, thereby attracting talented graduate students, they are often important partners in developing research programs on campus. Postdoctoral salaries are determined most often by granting agencies, but UF should insure that postdocs have access to benefits such as health insurance, and that, in general, they are treated as respected members of the UF family. I will ask the Provost, working with the Vice President for Research, to carefully examine a mechanism for providing a more regular employment status than currently exists.


INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITY NEEDS

To attract the best faculty, graduate students, and postdocs, the University must support a modern infrastructure and state-of-the-art facilities. Each department, discipline, and research initiative will have its own particular needs that must be carefully addressed as this strategic plan spins off action items. But there are at least two University-wide aspects of this topic that need attention.

A state-of-the-art Information Technology system must be built to meet the needs of faculty and students in research and teaching. Information Technology has become a core resource in every institution of higher education in America. It facilitates computation, communication, information storage and retrieval, and all aspects of the enterprise that comprise this University. UF is a pioneer in several aspects of Information Technology. Notable examples include the NSF-sponsored Virtual Data Grid under construction, applications in the UF Brain Institute, and the new initiative in Digital Arts. In some areas, such as general access to IT by students, UF lags behind its counterparts. As more technologies converge in IT, UF must create and sustain an Information Technology structure that enables the University's mission and goals. I will ask the Provost, together with the Chief Technology Officer, to develop a plan for funding this program at a level commensurate with its value, including exploration of a special fee for that purpose.

UF must ensure that Library resources meet the needs of students and faculty. While some may think that libraries have become outmoded in the Information Technology age, this is clearly not the case. The library is a partner in the research and IT enterprise and provides a variety of singularly important primary source and research materials that are of fundamental importance to the educational and research programs. Sustaining and building library resources on campus must be a component of a comprehensive IT development plan. We are now in the process of constructing new facilities for University Library and the College of Law Library.

However, we also need to provide off-campus storage facilities and increased funding for acquisitions if we are to keep pace with our peers. I am asking the Provost and the Vice Presidents for Development, Finance and Administration to give each of these goals a high priority for increased funding as that becomes possible.

UNIVERSITY STRATEGIES FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT

What has been outlined above is a plan that one might find at most any research university in the nation. All such plans agree that colleges must sustain excellence in cutting-edge research programs important to the state and nation and must continue to educate students to be the next generation of leaders in academe, industry, and government. The success of the colleges rests on fostering an exceptional group of faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students and postdocs who apply their talents in new and creative ways, supported by modern institutional policies and facilities. There is no question UF must take these steps. Beyond that, UF must adopt institutional strategies unique to its position, circumstances, and strengths that will achieve maximum impact and enhance its reputation in the halls of academe, industry, government, and in the public perception. This section is devoted to embedding such strategies in this plan.

Not only has the University built real strength in a number of standard disciplinary programs, it has created a number of very strong interdisciplinary programs. The University must sharpen the program foci and align University funding priorities to ensure their success. This portion of the strategic plan will provide a substantial payoff. Given the University's current strengths and those that have been identified for major enhancement through this planning process, it is clear that the following interdisciplinary programs need to be given priority:

1. Research in cancer and genetics
2. Research on the brain
3. Developments in biotechnology, particularly at the interface of medicine and nanoscience
4. Investigation of social and medical problems associated with Aging
5. Research into the status of children and families
6. Research in ecology and the environment
7. Internationalization of the campus and the curriculum

These specific areas of research and education create an identity for UF in the research community and in the public perception. They play to the University's strengths, accomplishments, unique facilities, and promises for profound development. The first six areas represent research problems of immense scope. Novel advances in any of them will assist the state in developing economically or in addressing social and environmental problems. All are highly interdisciplinary and demand contributions from faculty across the campus. As deans prioritize departments and areas most critical to enhancing the scholarly reputations of the college and the University, they must include the interdisciplinary programs above as important factors in their deliberations. I am asking the Provost to work with all Deans and focus funding on achieving these priorities.

There are several important components in the Ecology and the Environment program above. To further enable UF's ability in this field, the College of Natural Resources and the Environment should be relocated in CALS as a School. I am asking the Provost to effect this change. This shift will mobilize the substantial resources of IFAS into this interdisciplinary research and instructional program. Additionally, IFAS, COE, and CLAS should combine their expertise in an Institute on Water Resources to address the peculiar hydrology of Florida and the pressing water issues facing the nation.

The Institute on Aging is the campus unit coordinating activities in this area. It has made substantial strides, but needs a strong medical component added to its activities. Efforts are now underway to bring this about.

Undergraduate Programs

UF's national reputation and its ability to foster the economic, social and cultural development of the state and nation are heavily dependent on the quality of its faculty and on their research achievements and graduate programs. Consequently, it is natural to concentrate a substantial portion of this document on those critical areas. But no university can sustain a national reputation and a renowned faculty without a fundamental commitment to an excellent undergraduate program designed to educate the best young minds. The University of Florida must provide a rich educational experience to a substantial segment of the state's most talented high school graduates and to a diverse population of exceptionally prepared and motivated students from outside the state. This is a responsibility that it cannot ignore, and it must strive to increase the quality of the education it provides. While we have emphasized the value of outstanding graduate students in attracting faculty, most gifted faculty members also teach undergraduates, and their quality is an important factor in faculty recruitment and retention as well. In addition to the emphasis given to research programs with faculty, study abroad opportunities, volunteer service, leadership opportunities, and internships by the Provost and Vice President of Student Affairs for all students, we single out a few additional areas that should be strengthened to meet student and state needs.

UF should distinguish itself in undergraduate instruction by vigorously addressing pressing state needs in several areas. One particularly important problem is the critical shortage of trained secondary school teachers in science, mathematics, and foreign languages. Faculty in the College of Education, CLAS and CALS should develop new ways to help address this shortage. I am asking the Provost and the appropriate deans to develop a mechanism for enhancing an already strong program in this regard. As appropriate, they should enter into partnerships with community colleges around the state and with Nova Southeastern to accomplish this.

There are also critical state shortages in the availability of trained nurses and specialists in information technology. The College of Nursing and the COE should develop new ways to help address these shortages and engage community colleges and Nova Southeastern in this discussion.

UF currently has no broad and coherent writing program to which all students are exposed. A strong and innovative campus-wide undergraduate writing program would significantly enhance the freshman year experience, provide added value to students in their upper division years, and elevate the national reputation of the University. The Provost has proposed establishing a campus-wide writing program to meet the needs of students throughout the undergraduate program, and I concur fully.

Attention should be given to developing an integrated undergraduate program in biology. UF has a bewildering array of programs in the biological sciences that are not transparent to the inquiring undergraduate interested in "biology." There is a wonderful opportunity to construct such a program as a component of a combined B.A.-M.A. program to recruit talented undergraduates into graduate careers in the biological sciences.

The Provost has proposed expanding and strengthening instruction in foreign languages and cultures as a critical component of the University interdisciplinary program to internationalize the campus and the curriculum. I agree this is a priority that will serve the University and the state well.

The Task Force and the Provost suggested that economics is a discipline that should be closely examined on this campus and perhaps developed within CLAS. Such a move would provide greater access to students interested in pursuing this major. I agree this thought is worth further study.


Efficiencies

The University should always optimize its allocation and use of resources, and there are a number of areas in which we should seek greater return on our investments. UF should engage administrators, faculty, and staff in seeking ways to streamline administrative units, procedures and processes with an eye to investing the maximum resources possible to meet academic priorities.

The University should explore mergers of units where the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts or where there is duplication of effort. Financial and academic costs and benefits must be carefully assessed under the guidance of the Provost before any action is contemplated.

The Task Force and the Provost have looked closely at the prospect of reformulating the Colleges of Health Professions and Health and Human Performance. I will ask the Provost to appoint a faculty committee to examine this proposal further.

There are various Psychology units contained in departments and colleges around campus. Would uniting them in a real or virtual unit create a new synergy? We will be asking an appropriate group of faculty to pursue this question further.

Is there value in merging speech therapy and audiology? This possibility should be carefully considered.

There are benefits to combining support programs in the Colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Professions. Since the three Colleges will occupy a new building, their cooperation can avoid the need for three separate offices of student services.

Recreational sports programs should be merged into the Office of Student Affairs.

These efficiencies are all closely tied to the academic units of the University. I ask the Provost, in cooperation with the Vice Presidents, to consider how other associated units, such as Shands HealthCare, can support and enhance the University's strategic plan.

There is a plethora of centers and institutes on the campus. Some of these promote path-breaking research and provide unique services. Others may have grown timeworn. I encourage the Provost and the Vice President for Research to adopt a comprehensive review procedure that leads to the sun-setting of centers and institutes that no longer perform first-rate research and service.

Implementation

The development of this plan has not been easy. But the effort involved in that undertaking will pale alongside that required in implementing the recommendations flowing from it. I encourage deans to engage in serious discussions with their chairs, individually and collectively, to align departmental and college strategies with the goals of this strategic plan. I encourage chairs to spend time in discussion with their department faculty members to build consensus about the vision and mission of the department and how the department will contribute to enhancing the University's reputation.

However they will need more than encouragement. They will need to be provided leadership, in word and deed, throughout this process. I commit myself to this implementation process and I am asking the Provost and the other Vice Presidents to so commit themselves. We must lead by example, by providing solid support for those who work effectively toward implementing the goals for which they have a responsibility and by goading those who seem to be committing less than a full effort to this task.

The best support mechanism will be the allocation of funds to accomplish the goals herein. The Provost and I will keep the implementation of the strategic plan recommendations at the forefront of our thinking in the resource allocation process.

The University has several sources of funds that can be allocated or reallocated. UF expects approximately 200 faculty members to retire by July 2004, largely as a consequence of the retirement incentive program known as DROP. The Provost has recommended that half of the DROP lines be returned to the colleges in which the retirements occur, and that many of the remaining DROP lines should be reallocated to further the goals of the strategic plan. I fully support the Provost's recommendation regarding the DROP lines. This is a necessary step if we are serious about this endeavor. The external advisory group has suggested that the University's annual goal for internal reallocation should be set at 2 percent of the base budget, and I will work with the Provost to realize this goal.

As new funds become available to the University, they should be allocated to further the goals of the strategic plan.

I also plan to review the use of funds in the University of Florida Research Foundation for more extensive investment in our research priorities. Flexible resources available to the Division of Sponsored Research should be invested in the strategic plan.

I ask the Provost to include in the annual program reviews of the Colleges a comprehensive assessment of the strategic goals and the progress achieved in realizing them. I ask the Deans to do the same in their annual program reviews of the Departments.

Conclusion

I hope the Board of Trustees will agree that this is a well-designed plan to guide the strategic development of the University of Florida in the first part of this new century. I ask the Board to accept and endorse the plan through a formal resolution. When that has been accomplished, my colleagues and I will bring to the Board a proposal to establish the rules and policies needed to begin implementing it.

I also hope the Board and the University community are united in their excitement for the prospect this plan offers UF, for their sustained enthusiasm is a necessary ingredient to accomplish its long-term implementation.

This plan, as broad as it is, is an "Academic Plan", and at this University will serve as the central guiding and organizing principle for supporting plans. Once this plan has the necessary approval of the Board, we must prepare and bring to the Board for approval follow-up plans dealing with institutional issues raised by it, including:

A Physical Master Plan
A Fiscal Plan
A Development Plan
A Governmental Relations Plan
A Public Relations Plan

There may be more tactical plans needing careful thought and assessment, as well.

As I stated at the outset, I am pleased and proud to be President of UF at this critical time in its history for the reasons I mentioned above. This community, working together, has united to build an excellent academic plan, thereby adding to my pleasure and pride in this remarkable University. All of my experience in higher education tells me that UF is on the brink of true greatness. We have the resources, knowledge and skill to execute the plan. With the dedication and assistance of talented faculty, staff, administrators, and students from around the campus, the goal will be swiftly realized.

Summary of Recommendations

Major Proposals:

1. Work with legislative leaders to complete the process of devolution, giving the University greater control of its resources, including the ability to set tuition and fees.

2. Develop a plan to integrate all resources from the state, the University of Florida Foundation, the University of Florida Research Foundation, the Shands Health Care Network, and any other sources, toward the achievement of the strategic goals.

3. Develop a precise plan to invest in core academic areas in the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, and the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences with the following specific goals:
Determine central disciplines in the Colleges
Formulate an investment strategy in selected areas in these disciplines as part of a coherent overall strategy to raise the reputations of the departments and the Colleges
Develop a method to assess the success of faculty, chairs, and deans in implementing the strategy

4. Give priority at the University level to the following interdisciplinary programs:
Research in cancer and genetics
Research on the brain
Developments in biotechnology, particularly at the interface of medicine and nanoscience
Investigation of social and medical problems associated with Aging
Research into the status of children and families
Research in ecology and the environment
Internationalization of the campus and the curriculum

Faculty Initiatives:

5. Improve faculty salaries.

6. Make substantially more one-semester full pay sabbaticals available.

7. Review tenure and promotion policies and family issues, including employment of a trailing spouse and child-care.

8. Develop a strategy to assist faculty members in obtaining national and international recognition for their work.

9. Promote and advance leadership skills of faculty, particularly among women and minorities.

10. Consider innovative recruiting and retention methods to improve faculty diversity.

11. To ensure the quality of the faculty, UF should establish a six year period before tenure allowing faculty to establish a record of achievement.

12. Develop a formal three-year review for all tenure-accruing faculty.

13. Institute a career instructional track for faculty whose primary assignment is in the areas of instruction, pedagogical development, and service.

Enrollment Goals:

14. Maintain freshman admissions at 6500 per year and a campus student population of 45,000.

15. Increase the size of the graduate enrollment by 3,000 students over the next eight years in select areas.

Graduate Student Initiatives:

16. Improve stipends for graduate assistants, provide health insurance, and strengthen the Alumni Fellowship program.

17. Improve the retention rate and time-to-degree in graduate programs.

18. Develop state-of-the-art placement services for graduate students.

19. Regularize the employment status of postdocs and provide access to health insurance.

Creating New Efficiencies, Organizational Structures and Academic Enhancements:

20. Accord high funding priority to developing a state of the art
Information-Technology system.

21. Relocate the College of Natural Resources and the Environment as a School in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and develop a new focus on the science of water resources.

1. Add a strong medical component to the activities of the Institute on Aging.

2. Develop new ways to address the critical state shortages of trained specialists in information technology, nurses, and secondary school teachers in science, mathematics, and foreign languages.

3. Establish a strong and innovative campus-wide undergraduate writing program.

4. Develop an integrated undergraduate program in biology.

5. Expand and strengthen instruction in foreign languages.

6. Consider developing an economics unit within Liberal Arts and Sciences.

7. Appoint a faculty committee to consider reformulating the Colleges of Health Professions and Health and Human Performance.

8. Appoint a faculty committee to consider uniting various Psychology units around campus.

9. Consider merging speech therapy and audiology.

10. Combine support programs in the Colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Professions.

11. Merge recreational sports programs into the Office of Student Affairs.

12. Consider how nonacademic units, such as Shands Health Care, can support and enhance the strategic plan.

13. Adopt a comprehensive review procedure to sunset centers and institutes that no longer perform first-rate research and service.

14. Spend time with department faculty members to build consensus about the vision and mission of the department and University.

Allocations of Resources to Achieve Strategic Imperatives:

15. Reallocate DROP lines appropriately to support the goals of the strategic plan.

16. Set an annual goal for internal reallocation of funds at two percent of the base budget.

17. Allocate new funds to further the goals of the strategic plan.

18. Encourage investment in research priorities through funds available in the University of Florida Research Foundation and the Division of Sponsored Research.

19. Establish a comprehensive university-wide assessment of the strategic goals and the progress achieved in realizing them in the annual program reviews.