Is your head spinning?

At the University of Delaware, 2024 was an exhilarating year. World-class faculty and new, state-of-the-art facilities attracted a record number of applicants, life-altering research projects challenged the scientific paradigm, and unprecedented accolades highlighted UD’s global impact. 

But as these developments usher in a new generation of scholarship and innovation, the values that have always guided the University’s mission remain steadfast. Take a look at how five of these tenets manifested over the last 12 months. It’s been a period — thanks to resilient, dedicated, ambitious individuals who comprise the UD community — of relentless forward motion.

Come New Year’s Eve, raise a glass of something bubbly or a mug of something warm — Blue Hens have much to celebrate.

Excellence: The 26th-best university in the nation. This is how a Wall Street Journal survey ranked UD in 2024, largely due to outstanding student outcomes. But pick any category — UD achieved excellence. Alumni success? Four Blue Hens took home the Pulitzer Prize, and UD became a top-producer of Fulbright Scholars (meaning 11 recent graduates sponsored by the U.S. Department of State are set to spend one year studying or teaching abroad). This is a testament to UD experts, who’ve achieved significant career milestones in recent months (three were named highly cited researchers, while physics and astronomy professor Bill Matthaeus was announced as the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Alison Award). While UD President Dennis Assanis has been serving on a White House advisory group for more than two years, several other Blue Hen leaders have ascended to positions of global influence — J. Michael Bowman, associate director for the UD Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships, was tapped by President Joe Biden to serve on a federal committee for trade policy and negotiations. And Professor Alison Parker this year assisted the Biden administration in strengthening the National Park Service’s recognition of women’s history. It’s no wonder the University has continued attracting thought leaders across disciplines, with recent visits from an NFL legend, a NASA science chief, an NPR host, a renowned physician and a cake boss. As for athletics, this is the year UD saw a swimmer compete in the NCAA Championships, men’s tennis landed a coveted ITA National Ranking and field hockey won its 10th CAA Championship. Meanwhile, UD-trained coaches appeared on the Olympic stage. (All of this comes on the cusp of UD joining the highest level of college sport, Conference USA, in 2025.) 

Compassion: A UD education is about more than excelling as a scholar or a professional; it’s about excelling as a human being. Thanks to a University culture that prioritizes compassion, Blue Hens are motivated to relieve suffering and promote well-being on campus and beyond. (This is why professors spend their off time training emotional support puppies.) On Giving Tuesday, members of the community donated a record amount of money to worthy causes — supporting food pantries, expanding healthcare access and more. In 2024, many efforts focused on improving lives within the state, including work to restore abandoned public spaces, address homelessness and boost children’s mental health. Meanwhile, ongoing research projects are set to alleviate burdens worldwide. Consider the $3.9 million recently awarded to Blue Hen scientists for tackling Alzheimer’s disease, or consider this effort to support the families of African American cancer victims. In the words of Michael Vaughan, vice provost for equity at UD, research connected to the community is a gift, and UD’s gifts are primed for “an awesome firestorm of impact.”  

Curiosity: Blue Hens are not turned off by what they don’t understand — they are eager to learn and grow and connect with people of different political, cultural and ideological persuasions. Never has this been more apparent than in 2024. In April and again in November, students and faculty from across the country gathered at UD for a weekend of dialogue meant to advance civil discourse on divisive topics. Throughout the year, UD highlighted the initiatives of local Indigenous tribes, while students celebrated diversity in all its forms (see: this exploration into the joy of Mexican folk music, this effort to learn Korean or this globally minded campus meal). UD, an institution with 300 international partnerships and the first University in the nation to offer study abroad, pioneered new initiatives in cross-cultural education, with members of faculty leading personalized programs in their native countries. And now, the University’s world-renowned English Language Institute, which connects UD’s domestic and international student populations, will expand its reach.  

Innovation: UD is home to hundreds of inventors, all working to make the world a better place. Beyond advancing the clean hydrogen economy, Blue Hen researchers are finding new ways to curb toxic metals in baby food and revolutionize prosthetic limbs. They’re even creating Delaware’s first orbital spacecraft, set to launch as part of a NASA initiative in 2026. This year saw the launch of an FDA-approved treatment for chronic wounds, made possible by UD research, as well as a patent for a new plastic alternative invented on campus. The University has continued trailblazing in the field of biotechnology innovation; while, across disciplines, researchers have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence for myriad purposes: mapping the seafloor, advancing driverless car technology, predicting disease. Twelve Blue Hen students and alumni were recently awarded graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation so that they can innovate solutions to everything from lung disease to racial bias. And now, a University-wide effort is underway to increase the scale and pace of UD research discoveries that get translated into novel technologies for Delawareans and the nation. Meanwhile, members of the faculty are continually innovating new educational strategies. One out-of-the-box example: Teaching economics with the help of Taylor Swift. 

Collaboration: Teamwork underscored every great accomplishment at UD in 2024. Blue Hen researchers worked across disciplines to solve a variety of problems and confront major disasters. And they joined forces with industry and government agencies to answer complicated questions, such as: How do we help children thrive? And: How do we help families build wealth? But this collaborative ethos goes beyond research — it informs UD’s outreach in the community, and informs the work Blue Hen leaders do around the globe, from saving sea turtles to transforming entire fields. Now, with major happenings on the horizon, like new program offerings and the long-anticipated opening of Building X, it’s with a spirit of cooperation and partnership that the campus community is embracing 2025. Happy new year, Blue Hens!