USF 2002-2003 Undergraduate Catalog - Pages 9 - 10
One of the 20 largest universities in the United States and still growing, the University of South Florida has built a solid reputation as a leader in learning, offering comprehensive state-of-the-art, student-centered programs. With growing prestige and a dedicated faculty, including more than 75 faculty Fulbright Scholars and 42 endowed chairs, USF has become a research powerhouse.
Located in the vibrant Tampa Bay area, one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas of the nation, USF has formed vital partnerships with business leaders and organizations throughout the region, and contributes to the well-being of its immediate urban neighborhoods through vast networks of social research and service projects.
As one of the top 60 public research universities in the country USF’s contracts and grants are more than $171 million annually. USF’s fast growing reputation as a superior academic institution was formally acknowledged in 2000 when the Carnegie Foundation ranked USF in its top tier of national research universities.
Faculty and student scholarship and research are supported by an outstanding library that contains more than 2.3 million volumes and that is the electronic “Virtual Library” for the State University System of Florida. The latter provides links to tens of thousands of computer databases around the world.
Founded in 1956, USF opened its doors in 1960 to 2000 students. Today the University serves approximately 36,000 students — with nearly 200 programs at the undergraduate, master’s, specialty and doctoral levels, including the M.D. Entering freshmen boast an average SAT score of approximately 1,020 and a grade point average of 3.5.
USF’s commitment to inclusion is reflected in its student body. African American, Latin and Asian students comprise 24.5 percent of USF students. A growing contingent of international students, now representing well over 100 countries, demonstrates the University’s strong geographic influence and dedication to the principles of a global economy.
Collectively, our students are among the best and brightest at Florida universities, with greater-than-ever numbers of National Merit, National Achievement and National Hispanic Scholars. They are taught by some 2,000 highly-regarded faculty who are products of the world’s most prestigious colleges, universities and research institutes.
The University has graduated more than 186,000 students since its founding. These graduates contribute to society in numerous professional and civic activities. Those who live in the Tampa Bay area alone would nearly fill Tampa’s professional football stadium (Raymond James Stadium, which is also home field for the Bulls’ NCAA Division I football team and the 2001 Super Bowl).
USF is big in size as well as stature. Its annual operating budget is three quarters of a billion dollars. One of the largest employers in the Tampa area, its economic impact on the Tampa Bay region totals $1.35 billion annually.
In the past 40-plus years, USF has grown into a network of regional campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Lakeland, serving the West Central Florida region. The main campus in Tampa covers 1,700 acres, housing more than 320 buildings, which exceed 6 million gross square feet in size. Its libraries hold some 1.4 million volumes as well as a vast computer link to hundreds of library data bases and international communications through the Internet and the World Wide Web.
The largest of USF’s colleges, Arts and Sciences, offers nearly 50 undergraduate degrees and provides special programs that prepare students for schools of medicine and other related healthcare fields. With an enrollment of more than 12,500, Arts and Sciences is larger than many other entire universities. The college’s geology program is one of the largest and highest-ranked in the Southeast. Its chemistry program is one of the top producers of chemistry graduates in the nation. Cutting-edge programs include aging studies and environmental science and policy. Its marine science program is among the most prestigious in America.
The University’s most popular major is business, outpacing education, engineering, social sciences and psychology. Special programs affiliated with the College of Business Administration include the Cooperative Education Program, the Center for Economic Development Research and the Small Business Development Center. An International Study Program with an emphasis on Latin America prepares students for the growing global economy.
The largest urban education college in the country, USF’s College of Education ranks fifth in the nation. The College produces more teachers than any other Florida university; nearly 100 percent of the college’s graduates remain in the state. College facilities include the Educational Research Center for Child Development, the Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education and the award-winning Sun Coast Area Teacher Training (SCATT) program. The College is the only one in the state to operate its own charter school for at-risk youngsters and also works closely with Hillsborough County Public School’s Pizzo Elementary, located on the USF campus.
The College of Engineering is cultivating a world of new ideas through state-of the-art laboratories, low faculty-to-student ratios and a focus on cooperative learning. Faculty have set international standards for electric vehicle research and silicon chip technology. The College’s model distance-learning programs provide education at remote sites around the state. Some 600 engineers have earned master’s degrees through these programs. Each year, the college hosts the annual Engineering Expo, the oldest student-produced engineering exhibition in the country.
USF’s College of Medicine is among the best in the nation in educating physicians for its home state. More than 60 percent of its residents remain in Florida. The college is also renowned for research in brain repair, cardiology, ophthalmology and immunology. Through affiliations with Tampa General Hospital, the USF-based Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute (Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated center), All Children’s Hospital, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Shriner’s Hospital for Children, Bay Pines Veterans Medical Center, and Morton Plant Mease, medical students train on the cutting edge of trauma, pediatrics and cancer treatment. The College places an increasing focus on primary care. Admission is highly selective. Each year, the college receives more than 2,000 applications to fill 96 available positions.
The College of Nursing has a long history of student excellence. The College maintains affiliation agreements with more than 100 health care agencies in USF’s 10-county service area, offering students a wide range of clinical experience in both in patient and community facilities. Nursing faculty and students provide thousands of hours of volunteer care at such locations as the J.L. Young Apartments Center for Elder Health and the Judeo-Christian Clinic in West Tampa, as well as with the center for Family Health, a non-profit organization. Faculty members engage in a wide range of research in AIDS, aging, cancer and maternal/child health, which further enhances students’ education and clinical practice.
USF has the only College of Public Health in Florida. The College is one of only 27 fully accredited public health colleges in the United States. Within the college, the Legislature created the Florida Public Health Information Center (FPHIC) to serve as a statewide center for policy-oriented, health services research. USF’s master’s of public health program takes a multi-disciplinary approach to public health—exploring the social, behavioral, legal, medical and economic factors affecting public health. Areas of concentration include community and family health, epidemiology and biostatistics, environmental and occupational health and health policy and management.
The cultural hub of the University, the College of Visual and Performing Arts is home to the schools of Art and Art History, Music, and Theatre and Dance, in addition to the Contemporary Art Museum and the nationally-renowned Institute for Research in Art/Graphicstudio. The College offers courses and internships in New York City, Paris and London, and a special program in African Art. The renowned British International Theatre program (BRIT) brings British professional artists-in-residence to campus. The College also hosts a biannual Suncoast Music Education National Symposium and an annual jazz residency program.
Recognizing the school’s location in one of the state’s largest metropolitan areas, the School of Architecture and Community Design prepares students to find creative solutions to problems faced by aging and emerging cities. Design projects have included innovative portable classrooms, water retention projects and urban renovation that addresses traffic, parking, environmental and community needs.
The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute is Florida’s only mental health research institute. Its Center for HIV Education and Research has trained more than 50,000 medical and mental health professionals throughout Florida. The institute also trains more than 6,000 child welfare and juvenile justice staff members annually. The de la Parte Institute is one of five national sites competitively selected by the Public Health Service to rigorously document the costs and outcomes of managed care services to adults with severe mental illness.
Along with the regional campuses in St. Petersburg, Sarasota/Manatee and Lakeland, USF has a new joint use site with Pasco-Hernando Community College Downtown Center. Altogether, USF’s campuses are within reach of more than 3 million people in a 10-county area.
USF St. Petersburg is the oldest and largest regional campus of USF, and it offers a wide range of complete programs in undergraduate and graduate studies. Classes are small and students receive individual faculty attention and a full array of services. USF St. Petersburg places value on each and every individual it serves, making it a welcoming and nurturing environment for all who come to campus. It also is notable for the teaching of ethics that is infused throughout the curriculum.
Located along the waterfront of Bayboro Harbor, USF St. Petersburg is considered one of the loveliest and most inviting campuses in the nation and is the home of USF’s varsity women’s sailing team. The campus also borders the downtown area’s museums, galleries, performing arts venues and theaters. Its cultural programming is outstanding, with frequent public lectures and exhibits. Additional events often are sponsored through the Florida Humanities Council, which is headquartered on campus. USF St. Petersburg also is part of a medical and scientific research hub that includes marine science and pediatrics.
Also located at USF St. Petersburg, the College of Marine Science offers graduate programs in biological, chemical, geological and physical oceanography. Scientists do cutting-edge research all over the globe related to the effects of climate on the oceans. Marine Science is credited with being a magnet for drawing both the U.S. Geological Survey to USF St. Petersburg and oceanographic high-tech business to the Tampa Bay region.
The Sarasota/Manatee campus is adjacent to the state-owned Ringling Museum. USF at Sarasota/Manatee has significant responsibility for historic and environmental preservation of the beautiful Ringling and Caples estates.
USF Lakeland is designed to take advantage of advanced educational technologies. Along with traditional instruction, the campus has television receiving and transmitting labs for individualized computer instruction.
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Karen M. Hall - webCat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 2002
http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0203/aboutusf.htm