UWF had much to celebrate in 2023 | Saunders
Editor's note: The News Journal incorrectly posted an old guestview from University of West Florida President Martha D. Saunders on Sunday. The guestview below is the correct version.
A community member recently asked me how 2023 has gone for UWF. I answered without hesitation. “It’s been amazing,” I said. Here is how our year unfolded.
Still riding a high after record enrollment, record fundraising and national recognitions, we entered the new year in January to the good news that UWF ranked among the best in the nation in the 2023 U.S. News and World Report Best Online College rankings. Later that month, community leader, and former student government president, Jerry Maygarden and his wife, Rhonda, provided a gift to name the Jerry Louis Maygarden Undergraduate Communication Program.
February brought sweet news as the University Police Department achieved accreditation from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation. Accreditation ensures the department’s ability to prevent and control crime through effective and efficient delivery of law enforcement services.
Marching smartly into March, UWF was recognized as a gold-level University in the large public school category in the annual Military Friendly® Schools list for 2023-2024. We earned the gold distinction for success in helping veterans make the transition from the military to school and, ultimately, rewarding civilian careers.
April showered us with good news starting with the student-managed Argo Bond Fund winning first place among the nation’s student-managed bond funds at the Quinnipiac University Global Asset Management Education’s (Q.G.A.M.E.) annual conference global portfolio competition in New York City. We hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Sandy Sansing Sports Medicine Center, a facility dedicated to enhancing the quality of care for all UWF student-athletes. The 10,000-square-foot center will be an addition to the Darrell Gooden Center on UWF’s Pensacola campus. UWF’s fifth annual Day of Giving connected more than 1,380 donors from around the world in just 24 hours, resulting in a record-breaking online fundraising initiative for the University. And, for the 19th time in program-history, West Florida won the 2023 Gulf South Conference Men’s Golf Championship.
UWF’s Center for Cybersecurity highlighted the success and impact of the National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program at a showcase in May. Dr. Eman El-Sheikh, principal investigator for the national program, shared a program overview on its impact. The effort caught the attention of folks in Washington and was featured in the White House National Strategy. Later that month, UWF baseball powered to its third conference title.
June was our month to shine. UWF excelled in many key areas in the Florida Board of Governors 2022-23 performance-based funding model with top scores including employment of graduates and record retention and graduation rates. We broke 10,000 applicants for freshman slots, an all-time University record.
In July, the Usha Kundu, MD College of Health announced an Entry into Practice (Direct Entry) Master of Science in Nursing program for Fall 2023. The five-semester, in-person graduate program is a direct pathway to the nursing profession for those who have already earned a non-nursing bachelor’s degree.
The August heat didn’t deter student creativity. A team of undergraduate electrical engineering students at UWF’s Emerald Coast location in Fort Walton Beach developed an innovative battery charging system for soldiers training and operating in jungle environments. The idea sprang from a meeting with the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group Innovations team.
In September, UWF ranked in the top 10 public institutions in the region by U.S. News & World Report and was named a 2023 “Great College to Work For,” for the 11th year, with special designation as an Honor Roll institution for the fifth straight year. We were positioned to fill projected gaps in the Northwest Florida nursing workforce following the final approval of a $6,685,757 Triumph grant.
Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership, in collaboration with the UWF College of Business MBA Program and Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering, began providing graduate education to more than 200 student naval aviators in October. Ascension Sacred Heart and UWF began a strategic initiative that allows upper-level Bachelor of Science in Nursing students to complete the final three semesters of their clinical and classroom time on Sacred Heart Pensacola’s campus. Farcast Biosciences and UWF announced their intent to collaborate on an innovative research program to make cancer treatment more predictable for patients. Studies and research conducted in the program will aid the development of therapeutics, diagnostics, or other treatment modalities for precision cancer medicine.
We gave thanks in November as UWF ranked No. 12 in the nation on the "Best for Vets" college list released by Military Times. This marks the University’s highest ranking on the list to date. The Intercollegiate Athletics trophy case got new additions when women’s volleyball and men’s soccer added two more conference championships. Go Argos!
The December commencement celebrated a significant milestone, officially surpassing 100,000 graduates. With alumni engagement on the rise, Pensacola truly has become a “university town.”
The year was not without its portion of sorrow. We mourned the death of longtime UWF trustee and board chair, Lewis Bear, Jr. Chair Bear’s legacy remains with us for good, embodied by the thousands of students served under his watchful leadership.
Will Rogers once said, “One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been.” As I write this viewpoint in the waning days of 2023, I’m filled with overwhelming gratitude for a splendid year, and the support of a great community.
Happy New Year from your hometown University.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: UWF had much to celebrate in 2023 | Martha Saunders
