Title: USF Day

Summary: Commending the University of South Florida for its achievements as a national leader in academic and research excellence and designating April 15, 2025, as "USF Day" at the Capitol, etc.

Full Text:
WHEREAS, now, in 2025, the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus is celebrating years of serving the communities of Manatee and Sarasota Counties, and WHEREAS, USF St. Petersburg, situated on waterfront acres in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, hosts the state s repository for human trafficking data, an important tool in assisting law enforcement with fighting this crime, and WHEREAS, in addition to collecting and analyzing statewide data, USF s Trafficking in Persons Risk to Resilience Research Lab is tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of state-funded initiatives to combat human trafficking and working with law enforcement and state agencies to report data on human trafficking investigations and prosecutions, and WHEREAS, USF Health has tripled its research funding over the last decade, with seven academic departments ranked among the top in the nation in funding from the National Institutes of Health as the university continues to move forward on a bold path of innovation and exploration, and WHEREAS, USF is recognized as the fifth-youngest institution welcomed into the Association of American Universities and one of only two institutions in the State University System to have membership, and WHEREAS, USF has been recognized as a preeminent university by the State of Florida, and WHEREAS, USF ranks 45th among U.S. public institutions, marking the 11th consecutive year it has been ranked in the top 50, according to U.S. News & World Report  s annual ranking of best colleges, and WHEREAS, USF achieved a record-breaking $738 million in research funding during fiscal year 2024, up nearly percent over the previous year and an impressive increase of percent since 2022, and WHEREAS, USF has a total annual economic impact of $6.01 billion and supports 68,704 jobs in this state, and WHEREAS, USF was ranked by the Princeton Review as a top best value college among public institutions for providing students with high-quality education and career readiness at an affordable cost, and was ranked among the best in the U.S. News & World Report Online Education Program rankings, with education, engineering, and business programs in the top and the online MBA program in the top 25, and WHEREAS, the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is the top-ranked medical school in this state and is one of only nationally, and the only one in this state, to be placed in U.S. News & World Report  s highest tier of medical schools, and WHEREAS, USF s 2024-2025 freshman class welcomed approximately 6,700 students across all three campuses, a percent increase from last year, and the new class entered USF with an impressive academic profile, including an average high school GPA of 4.23, ACT score of 28.2, and SAT score of 1306, and came from across the state of Florida, all states, and countries, and included approximately students that joined the Judy Genshaft Honors College and National Merit Scholars, and WHEREAS, USF was ranked among the top schools by U.S. News & World Report for best colleges for veterans, and the university earned a Collegiate Purple Star Campus designation in 2024, which recognizes higher education institutions that provide critical support to military-connected students and families, and is one of only universities in the nation selected as a Tillman Partnership University of the Pat Tillman Foundation, based on innovative veteran-specific support services and proven culture of community for military families, and WHEREAS, USF takes pride in its vast network of nearly 400,000 alumni who are creating meaningful impacts in their communities throughout Florida and beyond, exemplifying the university s dedication to cultivating graduates who lead with purpose and serve with distinction, and WHEREAS, that same pride and purpose has led USF to new heights in sports, with the football team earning the record for the largest shutout victory in bowl history with a 45 0 win against Syracuse in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl, and in 2024, claiming victory over the San Jose State Spartans in a five overtime thriller at the Hawaii Bowl, the longest game in bowl history at the time, making USF one of only teams in college football to win back-to-back bowl games, NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: That April 15, 2025, is designated  USF Day  at the Capitol in recognition of the University of South Florida s contribution as an exceptional institution of higher education. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to Rhea F. Law, J.D., the eighth President of University of South Florida, as a tangible token of the sentiments of the Florida Senate.