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During every holiday season, I pause to reflect on the year, and while 2020 was incredibly challenging, we had much to celebrate at ��������.

For the second consecutive year, �������� is listed among the nation’s top public universities by U.S. News and World Report. We moved up four spots to No. 136 overall, and an impressive 12 spots to No. 33 for Social Mobility. �������� excels at providing access to higher education for students from all backgrounds, and we’re very proud of that. Our award-winning programs provide students with the tools to turn their dreams into reality — eliminating inequity and traditional achievement gaps — and thus ensuring everyone has a chance to succeed. Additionally — in spite of the pandemic — we saw a 28 percent increase in applications for our current freshman class, and an all-time high number of National Merit Scholars are enrolled at ��������.

We reached the halfway mark in ��������’s 10-year strategic plan, “The Race to Excellence,” and I’m very pleased with our progress. Total research expenditures more than doubled over the past five years, and our four research pillars — I-Health, I-Sense, the �������� Brain Institute, and �������� Harbor Branch — brought in $76 million in new awards. We’ve also seen large increases in both philanthropic giving to the �������� Foundation and legislative funding.

The �������� Foundation received more than $172 million in the past five years thanks to our generous donors — that’s nearly 88 percent more than the previous five-year period. And this year, we received our largest gift in university history: $20 million from Kurt and Marilyn Wallach to create the Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Institute for Holocaust and Jewish Studies.

Additionally, �������� continues to receive millions of dollars from the State of Florida to support our infrastructure and operational growth. In the past five years, the university secured more than $65 million in Public Education Capital Outlay funds; more than $20 million in recurring funds to support various initiatives; and a share of the State University System’s Performance Based Funding, including more than $21 million this year alone. This can be attributed to our strong academic performance, improved student success rates, and the local legislators who tirelessly advocate on our behalf.

Whether you plan to stay home for the holidays or travel, please remember we all have a shared responsibility to Protect Your Owl Family. for a brief reminder video about how you can help limit the spread of COVID-19 on our campuses, as well as locally and across the country.

Carolyn and I are extremely grateful for our wonderful Owl family, and for the partnership and support of our friends in the community. We look forward to celebrating more successes together in the coming year. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy 2021.