Title: Gator Day

Summary: Designates April 4, 2013, as "Gator Day" in Florida.

Full Text:
WHEREAS, in January, the university launched Innovation Academy, one of the nation's most forward-looking undergraduate programs that gives students a small-college experience focused on innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, ethics, and leadership on a unique spring-summer calendar, and WHEREAS, the University of Florida has a four-year graduation rate of percent, a six-year graduation rate of 16 percent, and a freshman retention rate of percent, all the highest of any university in the State of Florida, and nearly two-thirds of University of Florida students graduate with no student loan debt, compared with two-thirds of college students nationally who graduate with student loan debt, and WHEREAS, the University of Florida is a vital statewide economic engine that ge nerates thousands of statewide jobs, and WHEREAS, MindTree, a global information technology and product engineering company, cited the University of Florida as a key factor in its decision in 2012 to select Gainesville as the site of its United States exp ansion, bringing new jobs to the state over the next five years, and WHEREAS, the University of Florida became the first university in the state to offer massive open online courses and is the state's only member of Coursera, the industry leader in offering such courses, and WHEREAS, the University of Florida is now the home of the Collegiate Veterans Success Center, continuing its legacy of supporting veterans, which dates back to the thousands who attended the university on the GI Bill following Wor ld War II, and WHEREAS, the university attracts the best students in the state, the country, and the world, with an average 2011 freshman grade point average of 4.3 and an average SAT score of 58, the highest of any state university in Florida, and WHEREAS, the university is a leading research institution that jumped from 14th to 12th in a national ranking of research and development spending at the top public universities and exceeded the national average, increasing its research expenditures by 8.5 percent from 2010 to 2011, and WHEREAS, Exxon-Mobil hires more engineering graduates from the University of Florida than it does from any other school in the country, and the university is the third most popular supplier of graduates at Intel and Lockhee d-Martin, and WHEREAS, in October 2012, the University of Florida marked the conclusion of its Florida Tomorrow campaign, which exceeded its goal in gifts, pledges, and commitments and is now one of the most successful campaigns ever completed by a public university, and WHEREAS, the University of Florida ranks 10th nationally in the number of United States patents issued and 8th in the number of startup companies created, and WHEREAS, the University of Florida also excels in its student athletic program,which has been a Top-Ten program nationally for the past years and whose athletic victories include national team championships, SEC titles, and more than individual national titles, NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the House of Represe ntatives of the State of Florida: That April 4, 2013, is designated as "Gator Day" in the State of Florida. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. J. Bernard Machen, president of the University of Florida, as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed herein.