The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education小蝌蚪APP檚 R1 designation cements a university小蝌蚪APP檚 position as a top-tier research institution, punctuating academic excellence, scholarship, research, service, innovation and global impact. It小蝌蚪APP檚 a designation just 146, or 3%, of the country小蝌蚪APP檚 public and private universities have earned, a lofty perch the 小蝌蚪APP grasped at the close of 2021. The 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 R1 status brought notice in Washington D.C., applause from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and state lawmakers in Baton Rouge, and merited a campus research showcase. R1, indeed, is a very good place to be. Topping a long list of reasons why? Its capacity to empower.
The R1 designation, which Carnegie evaluates every three years, provides a springboard for a university to expand the cutting-edge research and scholarship that propelled it to R1; strengthens its ability to attract exemplary students and faculty members; and fans its role as an engine for economic and workforce development. Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president, said the designation places a resounding stamp on the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 longstanding reputation as an international hub for teaching, learning and research. It also offers a gateway to opportunity. 小蝌蚪APP淩1 is a testament to our faculty, staff and students who, together, have proven dedicated, capable stewards in the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 decades-long mission to create an environment that fosters student success and where life-changing research happens,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淭hat小蝌蚪APP檚 cause for immense pride and confidence, especially as we move forward. As with those who came before us, it is our obligation to make certain that those who come after us can reach even greater heights.小蝌蚪APP
Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, vice president for Research, Innovation and Economic Development, said the 小蝌蚪APP is well-positioned to leverage R1 status. His reasoning is straightforward: 小蝌蚪APP淩1 opens doors.小蝌蚪APP The designation provides access to external funding a university otherwise wouldn小蝌蚪APP檛 be eligible to pursue; paves the way for new academic degrees and programs; gives additional heft to graduates小蝌蚪APP degrees; spurs partnerships with industry seeking established sources of intellectual capital; influences policymakers and lawmakers; and inspires philanthropy. 小蝌蚪APP淩esearch isn小蝌蚪APP檛 done on an island, and we小蝌蚪APP檙e engaging with collaborators who might not have sought us out before. I小蝌蚪APP檓 seeing it from industry. From federal funding agencies. In interest from the community,小蝌蚪APP Kolluru said.
小蝌蚪APP淩1 opens doors.小蝌蚪APP Dr. Ramesh Kolluru
It all amounts to self-generated opportunity. The 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 research and development expenditures, a key metric in attaining R1 status, increased by $119 million between 2013 and 2021. UL Lafayette also secured $65 million in federal R&D funding, the most in history. And, for a second consecutive time, it is the nation小蝌蚪APP檚 seventh-best university for research funded through collaboration with business and industry. 小蝌蚪APP淲e intend to sustain that momentum,小蝌蚪APP Kolluru said, 小蝌蚪APP渁nd keep moving forward.小蝌蚪APP
Graduate School growth, another factor in the attainment of R1 status, has also been substantial. From Fall 2010 to Fall 2021, overall graduate enrollment rose 73%. The increase among doctoral students was 47%. That has translated into a record number of graduate degrees awarded since 2010; master小蝌蚪APP檚 degrees climbed by 81% and doctoral degrees by 120%. Dr. Mary Farmer-Kaiser, dean of the Graduate School, attributes the growth to 小蝌蚪APP渙ur faculty members, who perform at a very high level, and our graduate programs, which offer tremendous opportunities for our students to succeed in the classroom and seek high-demand jobs once they graduate.小蝌蚪APP
Farmer-Kaiser envisions continued progress as a result of the R1 designation, which is influencing a push to develop additional graduate programs, degrees and initiatives, particularly at the doctoral level. That will happen as a function of the same sort of intentionality that has helped guide Graduate School successes and earned R1 status for the 小蝌蚪APP, she explained. 小蝌蚪APP淣either has been accidental, nor happened overnight, but are the result of comprehensive strategic planning and step-by-step gains.小蝌蚪APP
Following the R1 designation, the 小蝌蚪APP created a $400,000 dissertation fellowship fund through a partnership with the UL Lafayette Foundation. The fund will support doctoral students in their final year of study, enabling them to focus solely on researching and writing their dissertations. That小蝌蚪APP檚 significant for students and, as with R&D expenditures, is important to R1 status.
Carnegie considers three weighted values in according the designation: R&D expenditures reported through the National Science Foundation小蝌蚪APP檚 Higher Education Research and Development Survey; the number and caliber of research staff; and the number of doctoral degrees awarded. Expenditures are measured in STEM subjects 小蝌蚪APP science, technology, engineering and mathematics 小蝌蚪APP and areas such as business, education, humanities, public policy, social science and social work, Kolluru said. 小蝌蚪APP淩1 is proof positive that we perform at a high level, across campus, and that小蝌蚪APP檚 exciting, because it will enable us to strengthen our research infrastructure, and strategically create new academic programs and full-time faculty positions across all colleges.小蝌蚪APP
For Kolluru, the 小蝌蚪APP-wide advantages of being an R1 university 小蝌蚪APP the validation it offers, the opportunities it affords, the potential it engenders 小蝌蚪APP rest heavily on one word: investment. 小蝌蚪APP淥ur R1 success has resonated so widely, and is so essential, because it affirms what we and others have long known 小蝌蚪APP we are a good investment,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淭he community knows we小蝌蚪APP檙e a good investment. Industry knows we小蝌蚪APP檙e a good investment. Our supporters, whose generosity helps to propel student and faculty success, know we小蝌蚪APP檙e a good investment. Employers know our graduates are a good investment.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淪o now, as much as at any time in history, we are poised to become an exponentially stronger investment. And that will happen as it always has, by redoubling our commitment to our core foundational values, our dedication to academic excellence and our pursuit of research that has global impact,小蝌蚪APP Kolluru said.
Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 小蝌蚪APP
This article first appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of La Louisiane, The Magazine of the 小蝌蚪APP.