From record undergraduate applications to enriching academic and student experiences, impactful research and investments in the University’s future, the University of Delaware is thriving, UD President Dennis Assanis said at the semiannual Board of Trustees meeting on Dec. 5.

“I continue to feel honored and humbled to lead our community to excellence,” Assanis said. “This is an amazing community, and this University is committed to the pursuit of excellence. I want to thank everybody, deep from my heart, for the work that you do — administrators, faculty, staff and our students.”

Assanis said that several positive developments and trends show that UD is enjoying strong momentum in advancing its mission.

As an example, Assanis shared that UD was named among the best colleges in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.

UD advanced 13 slots to the rank of #76 among the nation’s best overall universities and placed #36 among top public national universities, up two spots from last year. UD’s chemical engineering program remained in the top 10 nationally, ranking fifth overall. Along with chemical engineering, several individual undergraduate academic programs were recognized in the 2024 rankings as among the nation’s best, including psychology, computer science, business, economics and nursing.

Undergraduate applications have continued to increase at a record pace. Assanis said UD has also seen a significant increase in applications from Delawareans.

“The quick story is we’re up,” Assanis said. “We have a great deal of wonderful candidates to pick from who are interested in our class [of 2028].”

The University is working to address some of the issues that may be affecting graduate student enrollment, including housing and stipends.

Assanis highlighted some of the ways that the University is expanding international education and global opportunities.

“Another place where we truly need to continue to enhance our game is with our global strategy,” Assanis said, noting global experiences like study abroad and World Scholars, as well as recruitment, partnerships, scholarship, advancement and reputation. “We leave no stone unturned.”

Assanis highlighted a recent acceleration of growth in UD’s research enterprise. In the latest Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey released by the National Science Foundation, UD ranks 47th out of 626 academic institutions across the United States when comparing non-medical school R&D expenditures, rising 27 spots from last year and now ranking in the top 8 percent nationally.

Hiring and retaining distinguished faculty continues to be a priority for the University, Assanis said.

“We want to aspire to an even brighter future,” Assanis said. “The most important thing we need to be doing — all of us, campus leaders — is to make sure that we're investing in the University’s intellectual capital.”

Assanis also highlighted continued momentum across new development of campus facilities. The FinTech Innovation Hub on the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus opened earlier in the fall. The 25,000-square-foot addition to Drake Hall, which features teaching and research labs for chemistry and biochemistry, was completed in the spring. “Building X”, which is scheduled to be completed in fall 2024, will provide research and teaching spaces for multiple departments including biology, psychology, neuroscience, physics and quantum science. Renovations to the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Design Studio in Spencer Lab will provide additional room and modernized maker spaces and equipment for our students.

The University is facing a tight budget this year, Assanis said. Health care and other personnel costs have increased significantly in the past few years, and students need more financial aid because of economic pressures on families, he said. But overall, the University’s financial profile is strong, with stable enrollment, significant momentum with fundraising and robust enterprise risk management.

Assanis and Chrissi Rawak, UD’s director of athletics, community and campus recreation, also discussed the University’s decision to accept an invitation to join Conference USA as a full member.

“This is not only an athletics decision; it is also an institutional decision,” Rawak said. “The idea of elevating [athletics] was also about elevating the University of Delaware, ensuring that we provide a path for promoting all our programs and growing revenue — that was a really important part of this. It comes back to our ability to shine light on the University of Delaware across the country.”