Five Great Stats and Fun Facts about the University of South Florida (USF)

A few weeks ago I attended the Overseas Association of College Admissions Counselors annual conference held in Tampa.  Along with the usual offering of networking and educational sessions regarding college admissions, I had the opportunity to visit three distinct institutions --the University of South Florida, the University of Tampa and Eckerd College -- all within a 45 minute drive from one another in the enviable location of Tampa / St. Pete, Florida.

And what did I find learn about each of these vary distinct centers of higher education? Let’s start with the largest, the University of South Florida.

 

Here are five great stats about USF:     

1.       Leading research university: USF prides itself as being one of the Top 50 Public Research Universities in the U.S. (National Science Foundation, 2012) and uses its applied research approach to tackle problems important to society, such as health and poverty issues.

 

2.       Students "R" Us: USF is the eighth largest university in the US with a total enrollment of 47,600 students (36,200 undergraduate and 9,550 graduate students). Yet, despite this overwhelming number, the university attempts to individualize the learning and social experience through their break out TA sessions and wide variety of organizational offerings, including over 600 different clubs.

In addition, FSU gives students the option of joining a living and learning community (LLC) that encourages students to live in residence halls with others who have similar academic ambitions (including business, education, engineering, pre-nursing, mass communications, the honors program and ROTC) or lifestyle interests (such as such as sustainability, healthy living and global citizenship.

3.       Affordability: USF was listed in the Top 40 “Best Buy Colleges” for affordability (Forbes, 2012) with one of the lowest tuition rates for in-state students, plus scholarships for international students. (Tuition still costs under $17,400 for Florida residents.)

4.       High admission standards: Students starting in the fall of 2012 had an average high school GPA of 3.9 and an average SAT score of 1209 (2 parts).

5.       Comprehensive: USF can be considered a comprehensive university, since it offers 240 degree programs at different levels (BS, MA, PhD), including medical, dental and pharmacy school programs.

And now for the five fun facts:

1.       Rocky (but no Bullwinkle): USF’s beloved mascot, Rocky the Bull, was crowned champion of the 2013 Capital One Mascot Challenge. I had a chance to sample some of his best moves during the OACAC conference.

2.       Dancing wheelchairs: I previously mentioned that USF uses its applied research to help solve relevant societal problems. Here’s a prime example: USF dance professor, Merry Lyn Morris, in collaboration with the Department of Mechanical Engineering has spent the last 7 years developing a hands-free wheelchair that helps that helps those with disabilities dance. According to the Huff Post Impact, “The chair moves in the same direction that the dancer is leaning, and can even support a second standing dancer for partner work… Morris has been introducing the wheelchair to children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy in a series of unique dance classes.”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/07/merry-lynn-morris_n_4058626.html

Interestingly, YouTube revealed that the inspiration for the “dancing wheelchair” came from Morris’ own personal tragedy, as she had spent years caring for her own father who was “critically injured in a car accident and spent 21 years in traditional hand-operated wheelchairs.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ--kw-i6YI)

3.       Elevator speeches: USF’s Career Services Department teaches it students to give their best elevator speech – or what it calls a “30 second to 1 minute personal statement that provokes the person you are speaking with to want to learn more about you.” USF believes this can be a useful tool that students can use in any number of situations from networking events to voicemail messages to interview introductions. Examples, like the following, can be found on the USF website:

"Hi, I'm Mary Smith. I'll be graduating from USF in May with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and I have a real passion for the environment. I love creating outside-the-box marketing strategies for new products, especially environmentally-sensitive ones.  

I understand that your company has produced some new green products that aren't on the market yet. Last semester, while interning for a local firm I created an aggressive marketing campaign for a new product, which improved their sales. I'd love to talk to you about how I might be able to use the skills I've learned to help your company. Are you available for a brief meeting on Monday or Tuesday?" (http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2006/07/miracle_whip.html)

According to Dean of Business, Moez Limayem, USF goes beyond just teaching about elevator speeches theoretically; rather, they actually invite top executives from the Tampa area to accompany its business students for a ride in the elevator of a local skyscraper to determine how persuasive their elevator speech really is. 

 

4.       Steinway pianos: The USF School of Music has the honor and prestige of being named of being named an All Steinway School – one of just over 100 in the world – which means that every piano on campus is a Steinway. USF also presents the Steinway Piano Series, sponsored by The Music Gallery of Clearwater, which “brings premier international pianists to perform in the University’s new Music Building and Concert Hall, recognized as among the top acoustically perfect spaces for music performance in the nation.” http://music.arts.usf.edu/content/templates/?a=3092&z=298)

5.       Mind your manners: Business students are invited to participate in business etiquette dinners in order to them to learn how to make their best impression during meals with potential employers. (http://www.ctr.usf.edu/noteabull/e-newsletter/templates/default/defaultLong.aspx?issueID=152)

Well, there you have it: Five great stats and five fun facts about another university worth taking a second look at – The University of South Florida.

Stanford University - Fun Facts and Hard Acts to Follow

Although almost everyone interested in higher education is familiar with Stanford's reputation as one of the foremost universities in the world, these "fun facts" and hard acts to follow may still surprise you.

1. Many famous celebrities have attended classes at The Farm, as it is affectionately called. Here's a list of some of the most well-known alumni:

• Former presidents Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy (who later dropped out of their MBA program).
• Actors Reese Witherspoon (who has been on a leave since 1996), Sigourney Weaver and Ted Danson (who later transferred to Carnegie Mellon University).
• Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
• Entrepreneurs Phil Knight (co-founder of Nike), Doris Fisher (co-founder of The Gap), Steve Ballmer (former CEO of Microsoft) and Reed Hastings (co-founder of Netflix).
• Writers John Steinbeck (who attended intermittently) and Tobias Wolff.
• Broadcast journalists Ted Koppel (of Nightline fame) and Rachel Maddow.
• Athletes John Elway and Tiger Woods (who only attended for two years), and 
• Astronaut Sally Ride, the first woman to enter space.

(http://www.businessinsider.com/famous-stanford-students-2011-6?op=1)

2. There are more than 25 fountains at Stanford. Although originally created for their aesthetic beauty, they are now more well-known for the student tradition of "fountain hopping" around campus. According to stanfordpedia (yes, that is a real website), "it typically takes place during Admit Weekend, during Orientation, after finals, on a nice sunny day, or just out of spontaneity." (http://stanfordpedia.wikidot.com/fountain-hopping)

3. The Stanford Shopping Center, an upscale, outdoor shopping center (that houses such major department stores as Nordstroms, Neiman-Marcus, Bloomingdales and Macy's), is actually part of the Stanford campus and has a fascinating history. 

When Stanford University faced a financial bind after a drop in enrollment during World War II and a boom in matriculation afterwards, it needed a way to generate revenue. This task was made more difficult by the fact that university officials were not allowed to sell any of the original 8,800 acres endowed by its founders, Leland and Jane Stanford. Fortunately, the Vice President for Business Affairs at Stanford found a way to comply with this regulation and still generate some much needed income for the university -- by leasing space to a commercial real estate company. Thus, the concept of The Stanford Shopping Center was born, and "excavators broke ground in 1954 on what was once Leland Stanford's vineyard." ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Shopping_Center)

Interestingly, the Stanford Shopping Center today is also known for being dog-friendly, since well-behaved dogs are welcome around the mall as well as inside many of the stores. Imagine finding yourself shopping for cosmetics next to Fido the next time you visit Macy's! (It actually happened to me.) (http://www.dogfriendly.com/server/travel/uscities/guides/w/FOLDERca/wonlineca6178585st.shtml)

4. The Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB) bills itself as the "World's Largest Rock and Roll Band" and has become infamous all over the U.S. for its irreverent sense of humor, cutting-edge musical arrangements and bad fashion sense. This wasn't always the case though. Once upon a time (actually for the first 70 years after the university was founded), LSJUMB actually behaved like most other college bands, marching in straight lines, playing traditional marches and wearing impeccable uniforms. 

All that changed, however, after the school's beloved band director was dismissed during a reorganization of the music department in the 1960s. The Stanford marching band reacted by going on strike and refused to go onto the field for the first two football games under its new director, graduate student Arthur Barnes. In an attempt to salvage what was left of the season, Barnes made an offer to his students: if they would start playing at football games again, the band could be a student-run organization.

Of course, the group readily accepted their new leader's offer. Yet, things didn't turn out quite as neatly as the university expected due to the influence that the counterculture revolution of the 1960s had on the newly reorganized band. Over the next decade, the students opted to trade in their prim military-style uniforms for white fishing hats and gaudy red blazers; they decided to scatter rather than march onto the field; and, to make matters even worse, they chose to play rock 'n roll music - a well-known threat to musical respectability - rather than traditional band marches at their football games! (http://lsjumb.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/drupal-7.4/history)

The band's reputation for hijinks still continues today, although not only during football games. The LSJMB now plays for all types of sporting events, including rugby, water polo, sailing and even chess. They've been know to show up in a classroom or in one of the fountains (I mentioned earlier) and will eagerly play at a wedding, bar mitzvah or funeral when invited. As you can see, they're anything but your typical halftime show! (http://lsjumb.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/drupal-7.4/about)

5. I'll end this essay with a note about how Stanford students end their academic years at this renowned institution. They do what's called the Wacky Walk, a relatively new tradition that takes place during the first minutes of their graduation ceremony. Instead of participating in the traditional entrance march , Stanford students parade or even run all together into the stadium. Some carry placards thanking their respective parents; many dress in original costumes of their choosing; while still others join forces with fellow students to enact toga party themes or assemble group formations, such as a giant soccer ball or caterpillar. Feel free to take a look at this wacky, organized campus chaos on Stanford's official video: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIivxBIRq78)

Well, there you have it -- fun facts about and hard acts to follow at Stanford, a prestigious university with impressive alums and students that like to show their school spirit in many creative and nontraditional ways.