Palm Beach Post: University of Florida momentum grows toward investing in research and students
Amid a flood of headlines suggesting that higher education is in a crisis, it was easy to miss this week’s blockbuster: The University of Florida announced a new record $1.33 billion in research spending last year.
The university that invented Gatorade and drove many other key innovations is amplifying its impact — with UF faculty landing more grants, publishing more groundbreaking findings, and inventing more new technologies than ever before.
This record matters because it means more lifesaving discoveries, technological advances, and practical solutions to some of the toughest challenges facing our state and our society.
UF is advancing even as others flounder
What’s more, it’s part of a larger story that also deserves more attention: UF is advancing across multiple fronts, even as other universities nationally are floundering.
Consider that philanthropy at UF has soared. In the past fiscal year, we raised more than $560 million in new gifts and commitments — up from $496 million the year before and our strongest fundraising year in three years. This is a clear and powerful vote of confidence from our alumni, partners, and friends in UF’s trajectory.
Demand to join the Gator Nation has also reached new heights. UF received 91,884 applications for the Class of 2029 — a 23% increase over last year and the highest in our history. Just as important, it’s the most academically competitive pool we’ve ever seen. Our students aren’t just applying to UF — they’re arriving here ready to thrive.
UF also continues to receive applications from Jewish students who feel persecuted at their institutions and want to transfer to UF, and Enrollment Management works with these students for seamless entry into our institution, per the instruction from the Board of Trustees and the governor’s executive order. UF’s student body of over 61,000 students includes more than 6,000 who are Jewish, certainly one of the largest Jewish student enrollments in the nation.
At a time when too many institutions hesitated or equivocated, UF acted decisively to protect student safety, uphold institutional neutrality, and reaffirm our values. We are not reacting — we are leading.
We’ve also invested in the tools that will define the future. In January, UF unveiled the new HiPerGator AI — now the fastest academic supercomputer in the country. This powerful infrastructure is fueling breakthroughs in agriculture, health care, national security, and more. It’s one more sign that UF is not just keeping up — we’re leading.
Mori Hosseini is chair of the University of Florida Board of Trustees and a longtime advocate for higher education in Florida.