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.