UNIVERSITY NEWS
USF leads the state in student success metrics
New clinical affiliation will benefit patients across Tampa Bay region
USF LED ALL STATE UNIVERSITIES in performance-based funding scores for 2020, according to data compiled by the Florida Board of Governors (BOG). USF placed first in the state compared to other universities in a series of 10 student success-based metrics established by the BOG that focus on affordable access, graduating students at a high rate, with minimal debt, and preparing them for high-skilled, high-paying jobs in high-demand fields. “The University of South Florida community should be immensely proud of our success in the state’s performance-based funding model. Our achievements are truly a reflection of the dedicated work of our students, faculty and staff,” USF President Steven Currall says. “Our performance on benchmarks such as graduation rates, student access and the number of students employed after earning a degree underscores my belief that USF is where academic excellence converges with opportunity for our students. Our performance-based funding milestones advance our goal of becoming a top 25 public university.”
TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL AND USF have formed a new clinical affiliation, a significant milestone that will further solidify one of the largest academic medical centers in Florida and build upon their longstanding relationship and commitment to improving health care in Tampa Bay. The enhanced affiliation enables the two organizations to align administrative and clinical practice areas into a new organization, an effort mirrored across the country as most top-ranked medical schools and hospitals move toward integrated models that bolster academics, research and clinical care. TGH’s Board of Directors and the USF Board of Trustees previously approved the new organization. The new USF and TGH focus means Tampa Bay’s best health care providers are well-positioned to deliver the cutting-edge care and innovative treatments that are a hallmark of academic medicine. The new affiliation will benefit patients across Tampa Bay by enabling the region’s only academic medical center to provide seamless, comprehensive care for patients, according to John Couris, TGH president and CEO, and USF President Steven Currall. “TGH, USF and our private practice physicians have always had the most success when working together to improve health in Tampa Bay,” Couris says. “Now that we are more strategically aligned, we can create a powerhouse that delivers world-class health care on the west coast of Florida.” TGH and USF have worked closely together for nearly 50 years, since the opening of the medical school in the early 1970s. “Strengthening and expanding upon the affiliation between the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital presents extraordinary benefits and new opportunities for education, health care and research in the Tampa Bay region and beyond,” Currall says. “Our joint vision is to become one of the nation’s most outstanding academic medical centers.”
USF earned the highest score in the state in the following categories, according to the BOG’s formula (includes ties): • • • • •
Four-year graduation rate Bachelor’s degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis Graduate degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis Percent of bachelor’s degrees without excess hours Net tuition and fees per 120 credit hours
“Congratulations to the University of South Florida on achieving its highest performance-based funding score to date and top score for the State University System,” says Brian Lamb, ’98 and MBA’17, Life Member, vice chair of the Board of Governors and chair of its Budget and Finance Committee. “Thank you to the governor and the legislature for their unwavering support of the State University System. USF’s upward trajectory has been outstanding. This is a testament to the dedication of excellence from the students, faculty and leadership of the institution. I look forward to their continued success.” USF has been a consistent leader in the state’s performance-based funding model, which takes into account the metrics of all three USF campuses, since the system was implemented in 2014. “Leading all state universities in this year’s performance metrics is another example of how the University of South Florida’s focus on strategic goals can produce record-breaking results,” says USF Board of Trustees Chair Jordan Zimmerman ’80, Life Member.
DANIEL WALLACE | Tampa General Hospital
HONORS AND AWARDS
From left, USF President Steve Currall, TGH President John Couris, and Dr. Charles Lockwood, dean, USF Morsani College of Medicine and senior vice president of USF Health.
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