Florida Senate - 2025 (NP) SR 1886
By Senator Burgess
23-03364-25 20251886__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution commending the University of South
3 Florida for its achievements as a national leader in
4 academic and research excellence and designating April
5 15, 2025, as “USF Day” at the Capitol.
6
7 WHEREAS, in 1956, the Tampa campus of the University of
8 South Florida (USF) was founded with the approved name of
9 “University of South Florida,” in part, because it was the
10 southernmost state university in Florida at the time, and
11 WHEREAS, now, in 2025, the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus is
12 celebrating 50 years of serving the communities of Manatee and
13 Sarasota Counties, and
14 WHEREAS, USF St. Petersburg, situated on 52 waterfront
15 acres in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, hosts the state’s
16 repository for human trafficking data, an important tool in
17 assisting law enforcement with fighting this crime, and
18 WHEREAS, in addition to collecting and analyzing statewide
19 data, USF’s Trafficking in Persons Risk to Resilience Research
20 Lab is tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of state-funded
21 initiatives to combat human trafficking and working with law
22 enforcement and state agencies to report data on human
23 trafficking investigations and prosecutions, and
24 WHEREAS, USF Health has tripled its research funding over
25 the last decade, with seven academic departments ranked among
26 the top 50 in the nation in funding from the National Institutes
27 of Health as the university continues to move forward on a bold
28 path of innovation and exploration, and
29 WHEREAS, USF is recognized as the fifth-youngest
30 institution welcomed into the Association of American
31 Universities and one of only two institutions in the State
32 University System to have membership, and
33 WHEREAS, USF has been recognized as a preeminent university
34 by the State of Florida, and
35 WHEREAS, USF ranks 45th among U.S. public institutions,
36 marking the 11th consecutive year it has been ranked in the top
37 50, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of
38 best colleges, and
39 WHEREAS, USF achieved a record-breaking $738 million in
40 research funding during fiscal year 2024, up nearly 7 percent
41 over the previous year and an impressive increase of 35 percent
42 since 2022, and
43 WHEREAS, USF has a total annual economic impact of $6.01
44 billion and supports 68,704 jobs in this state, and
45 WHEREAS, USF was ranked by the Princeton Review as a top 50
46 best value college among public institutions for providing
47 students with high-quality education and career readiness at an
48 affordable cost, and was ranked among the best in the U.S. News
49 & World Report Online Education Program rankings, with
50 education, engineering, and business programs in the top 100 and
51 the online MBA program in the top 25, and
52 WHEREAS, the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is the
53 top-ranked medical school in this state and is one of only 16
54 nationally, and the only one in this state, to be placed in U.S.
55 News & World Report’s highest tier of medical schools, and
56 WHEREAS, USF’s 2024-2025 freshman class welcomed
57 approximately 6,700 students across all three campuses, a 14
58 percent increase from last year, and the new class entered USF
59 with an impressive academic profile, including an average high
60 school GPA of 4.23, ACT score of 28.2, and SAT score of 1306,
61 and came from across the state of Florida, all 50 states, and 73
62 countries, and included approximately 750 students that joined
63 the Judy Genshaft Honors College and 54 National Merit Scholars,
64 and
65 WHEREAS, USF was ranked among the top 100 schools by U.S.
66 News & World Report for best colleges for veterans, and the
67 university earned a Collegiate Purple Star Campus designation in
68 2024, which recognizes higher education institutions that
69 provide critical support to military-connected students and
70 families, and is one of only 18 universities in the nation
71 selected as a Tillman Partnership University of the Pat Tillman
72 Foundation, based on innovative veteran-specific support
73 services and proven culture of community for military families,
74 and
75 WHEREAS, USF takes pride in its vast network of nearly
76 400,000 alumni who are creating meaningful impacts in their
77 communities throughout Florida and beyond, exemplifying the
78 university’s dedication to cultivating graduates who lead with
79 purpose and serve with distinction, and
80 WHEREAS, that same pride and purpose has led USF to new
81 heights in sports, with the football team earning the record for
82 the largest shutout victory in bowl history with a 45–0 win
83 against Syracuse in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl, and in 2024,
84 claiming victory over the San Jose State Spartans in a five
85 overtime thriller at the Hawaii Bowl, the longest game in bowl
86 history at the time, making USF one of only 15 teams in college
87 football to win back-to-back bowl games, NOW, THEREFORE,
88
89 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
90
91 That April 15, 2025, is designated “USF Day” at the Capitol
92 in recognition of the University of South Florida’s contribution
93 as an exceptional institution of higher education.
94 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
95 the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to Rhea F. Law,
96 J.D., the eighth President of University of South Florida, as a
97 tangible token of the sentiments of the Florida Senate.