The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education鈥檚 R1 designation cements a 欧美三级片鈥檚 position as a top-tier research institution, punctuating academic excellence, scholarship, research, service, innovation and global impact. It鈥檚 a designation just 146, or 3%, of the country鈥檚 public and private universities have earned, a lofty perch the 欧美三级片 grasped at the close of 2021. The 欧美三级片鈥檚 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 欧美三级片 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 欧美三级片鈥檚 longstanding reputation as an international hub for teaching, learning and research. It also offers a gateway to opportunity. 鈥淩1 is a testament to our faculty, staff and students who, together, have proven dedicated, capable stewards in the 欧美三级片鈥檚 decades-long mission to create an environment that fosters student success and where life-changing research happens,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 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.鈥
Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, vice president for Research, Innovation and Economic Development, said the 欧美三级片 is well-positioned to leverage R1 status. His reasoning is straightforward: 鈥淩1 opens doors.鈥 The designation provides access to external funding a 欧美三级片 otherwise wouldn鈥檛 be eligible to pursue; paves the way for new academic degrees and programs; gives additional heft to graduates鈥 degrees; spurs partnerships with industry seeking established sources of intellectual capital; influences policymakers and lawmakers; and inspires philanthropy. 鈥淩esearch isn鈥檛 done on an island, and we鈥檙e engaging with collaborators who might not have sought us out before. I鈥檓 seeing it from industry. From federal funding agencies. In interest from the community,鈥 Kolluru said.
鈥淩1 opens doors.鈥 Dr. Ramesh Kolluru
It all amounts to self-generated opportunity. The 欧美三级片鈥檚 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鈥檚 seventh-best 欧美三级片 for research funded through collaboration with business and industry. 鈥淲e intend to sustain that momentum,鈥 Kolluru said, 鈥渁nd keep moving forward.鈥
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鈥檚 degrees climbed by 81% and doctoral degrees by 120%. Dr. Mary Farmer-Kaiser, dean of the Graduate School, attributes the growth to 鈥渙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.鈥
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 欧美三级片, she explained. 鈥淣either has been accidental, nor happened overnight, but are the result of comprehensive strategic planning and step-by-step gains.鈥
Following the R1 designation, the 欧美三级片 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 鈥 science, technology, engineering and mathematics 鈥 and areas such as business, education, humanities, public policy, social science and social work, Kolluru said. 鈥淩1 is proof positive that we perform at a high level, across campus, and that鈥檚 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.鈥
For Kolluru, the 欧美三级片-wide advantages of being an R1 欧美三级片 鈥 the validation it offers, the opportunities it affords, the potential it engenders 鈥 rest heavily on one word: investment. 鈥淥ur R1 success has resonated so widely, and is so essential, because it affirms what we and others have long known 鈥 we are a good investment,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he community knows we鈥檙e a good investment. Industry knows we鈥檙e a good investment. Our supporters, whose generosity helps to propel student and faculty success, know we鈥檙e a good investment. Employers know our graduates are a good investment.鈥
鈥淪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,鈥 Kolluru said.
Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 欧美三级片
This article first appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of La Louisiane, The Magazine of the 欧美三级片.