Florida Senate - 2024 (NP) SR 1002
By Senator Perry
9-01861-24 20241002__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing the accomplishments of the
3 University of Florida and designating February 14,
4 2024, as “Gator Day” at the Capitol.
5
6 WHEREAS, the University of Florida is the nation’s top
7 public university, ranked first among all public institutions by
8 the Wall Street Journal based on value, graduation rates, and
9 student-to-faculty ratios, and
10 WHEREAS, the University of Florida conducted a record $1.25
11 billion in research over the last year, funding new health care
12 discoveries, scientific exploration, agricultural studies, and
13 technological advancements, and
14 WHEREAS, UF Health Shands Hospital has nine medical
15 specialties ranked in the top 50 nationwide, including five
16 adult and four children’s specialties, with top doctors,
17 researchers, and health care workers caring for patients from
18 across the state and nation, and
19 WHEREAS, the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine
20 has launched the first open-heart surgery program in the nation
21 to treat dogs requiring a mitral valve repair — a step above any
22 other veterinary institution of higher learning, and
23 WHEREAS, the University of Florida is at the forefront of
24 education in artificial intelligence, offering all students the
25 Fundamentals of AI course and access to an AI pathways career
26 coach and supporting K-12 AI education programs so that students
27 and faculty benefit from the latest technology and research, and
28 WHEREAS, the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and
29 Agricultural Sciences conducted a record-breaking $300 million
30 in research projects in fiscal year 2023, representing an 8
31 percent increase from the previous year and a historic level of
32 funding that supports Florida’s agricultural and natural
33 resources research, and
34 WHEREAS, the University of Florida Office of the President,
35 under the leadership of President Ben Sasse, announced in fall
36 2023 numerous strategic funding projects totaling more than $29
37 million for 36 innovative research projects designed to advance
38 the student experience and interdisciplinary scholarship across
39 the university, and
40 WHEREAS, the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for
41 Biomedical Innovation and Technology has yielded more than $3.2
42 billion in economic impact within its first 20 years of
43 operation and continues to make advancements that benefit human
44 health and improve technology, and
45 WHEREAS, the UF Health Cancer Center was recently
46 designated as a National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer
47 Center due to its quality of care, high standards, and cutting
48 edge research that gives patients the best outcomes and
49 treatment, as well as additional funding to further enhance care
50 and attract world-class clinicians and researchers, and
51 WHEREAS, the university’s Herbert Wertheim College of
52 Engineering established the Florida Semiconductor Institute to
53 lead the state in the creation and development of microchips
54 that are vital to our society, a step toward bringing
55 manufacturing back to the United States and advancing research
56 and technology to sustain the semiconductor industry, and
57 WHEREAS, the university’s College of Agricultural and Life
58 Sciences has more staff with United States Department of
59 Agriculture teaching awards than any other land-grant
60 institution, an exceptional achievement indicative of the
61 college’s commitment to the success of its students beyond the
62 classroom, and
63 WHEREAS, UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital has earned a
64 prestigious designation as a Level 1 center for pediatric trauma
65 care due to its fulfillment of the American College of Surgeons
66 standards for staff, resources, and equipment to ensure the
67 highest quality of treatment for children facing life
68 threatening emergencies, and
69 WHEREAS, the University of Florida is a designated Yellow
70 Ribbon school due to its uniquely supportive academic and
71 financial resources for veterans through the Office of Student
72 Veteran Success and the UF Collegiate Veterans Success Center,
73 which are dedicated to supporting those who have served, and
74 WHEREAS, UF Health has just concluded a 7-year, $44 million
75 improvement and expansion of facilities at the Proton Therapy
76 Institute to increase the number of rooms and personal treatment
77 options for cancer patients, which will draw patients and
78 researchers from across the state and nation, NOW, THEREFORE,
79
80 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
81
82 That the University of Florida is commended and
83 congratulated for its dedication to the advancement of the State
84 of Florida, and that February 14, 2024, is designated as “Gator
85 Day” at the Capitol.
86 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
87 the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to University of
88 Florida President Dr. Ben Sasse as a tangible token of the
89 sentiments of the Florida Senate.