The academic prowess of students, continued dedication of faculty and staff, and commitment to excellence from the University of Delaware’s campus community was on full display as President Dennis Assanis presented highlights from the academic year at the General Faculty meeting on May 6. 

Highlights included the recognition of faculty achievements and the growing list of prestigious scholarships – Goldwater, Boren, Fulbright, Gilman and the National Science Foundation (NSF), to name a few – earned by students.

“I continue to feel honored and humbled to serve as your President. Our institution is an amazing place,” said Assanis.  

In the past two years UD has produced 13 student Fulbright scholars, Assanis said. As a result, UD was recognized as one of the State Department’s Fulbright Top Producing Institutions in 2023. UD is also ranked nationally in the top 8% for non-medical research and development. 

Expressing condolences for the lives lost in the ongoing Middle East war, Assanis also recognized students’ civil engagement on the issue and their commitment to peaceful demonstrations. “We absolutely uphold the principle of protecting free expression on our campus,” Assanis said. 

He said UD’s academic excellence is reflected in the fact that there are 11 nationally ranked graduate programs in the 2025 U.S. News and World Report Best Graduate Schools ranking, with several programs improving their position since the previous report. Assanis also highlighted UD’s sustainability ranking (#33 in the nation and #240 worldwide) and its highly ranked undergraduate entrepreneurship program (#31 in the nation and #3 in the Mid-Atlantic region). 

Assanis commended the hard work and dedication of faculty members for their achievements. Seven were named Fulbright scholars along with several other high honors.

He announced that Bill Matthaeus, professor of physics and astronomy, is this year’s recipient of the Francis Alison Award. The Board of Trustees established the honor in 1978 to recognize those faculty members who best characterize “the scholar-schoolmaster,” as exemplified by the Rev. Francis Alison.

“Thanks to you and the committee; it is an honor to receive this award,” Matthaeus said at the meeting. “It’s gratifying personally for my research and mentorship, but I share this with my students because I wouldn’t be here without their efforts over the last two decades.” 

In addition, Kyle Davis, assistant professor of geography and spatial sciences, and Kenneth Shores, assistant professor in the School of Education, received last year’s Gerard J. Mangone Young Scholars Award because of their significant contributions to their research field and their dedication towards their students.

“The breadth and depth of the research and scholarship across our colleges is impressive,” Assanis said, noting examples of recent projects on bias in artificial intelligence chatbots, developmental delays in babies and the creation of reliable, less energy-intensive forms of computer memory. “These fantastic innovations and inventions may have the opportunity to get translated into products, which is the ultimate benefit to society.”

He also provided an update on the Delaware Innovation Space, a science-based entrepreneurship and startup incubator partnership between UD, the State of Delaware and DuPont. Since 2017, Assanis noted that there have been 27 UD-affiliated startups that raised $680 million in capital and created more than 275 jobs.

Construction of Building X, which will replace McKinly Lab on East Delaware Avenue, remains on pace to be opened in late fall. The “science collider” for interdisciplinary research and teaching will provide a dynamic environment to educate more than 1,000 students a year in crucial health care fields such as human disease, developmental disorders, neuroscience and human behavior.

Assanis noted the recent groundbreaking for the Securing American Biomanufacturing Research and Education (SABRE) Center, which is being funded with federal and state money. The SABRE Center will train workers in the highly technical skills necessary for the production of biopharmaceuticals and other products that require extraordinarily clean and precise manufacturing techniques. It will also provide biopharmaceutical companies with a facility to test their innovations and make their products in an FDA-regulated environment.

UD’s continued advances in scholarship have attracted a variety of distinguished visitors to campus. Assanis noted the recent fireside chats with Dr. Nicki Fox, chief of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Chief Medical Advisor of President Biden, both of whom were presented with the University’s Medal of Distinction, one of UD’s highest honors, to recognize their success and contributions to society. Also, concert performances by baritone Justin Austin and pianist Howard Watkins were part of the Black History Month celebrations at UD. 

The inaugural Fintech and Financial Institutions Research Conference, co-sponsored by UD and The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, drew experts and researchers from around the nation, while the National Academy of Engineering came to UD for its regional meeting and symposium on clean hydrogen. Both events were hosted at the FinTech Innovation Hub on UD’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus.  

Assanis also took a moment to welcome new leadership to campus, acknowledging Brian Farkas, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Miguel Garcia-Diaz, vice president of research, scholarship and innovation. Dean searches for the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences are continuing.

To continue this forward momentum, Assanis said UD needs to ensure that its financial situation is stable and healthy for the long term. He said the University is experiencing a confluence of budget issues, as are many institutions of higher education across the country. He said incoming UD students need more financial aid, while the University’s costs for personnel, health care, goods and services are also rising, resulting in  expenses growing faster than revenues. The impact is a projected $20 million to $40 million deficit in the current fiscal year.

“The good news is we have a stable pipeline of students who are applying and interested in coming to UD,” Assanis said, pointing to the nearly 40,000 prospective undergraduate students, almost 3,400 master’s students and nearly 3,900 doctoral students who applied to enroll in fall 2024. 

However, the nationwide delays and errors in the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) program have made it difficult to confirm the number of students that will be enrolled in the fall, which impacts tuition revenue, housing and other issues. 

Following the series of listening sessions with faculty and staff, Assanis shared that leadership is “committed to enhancing transparency and empowerment at the unit level so as to incentivize growth while continuing to pursue operational efficiencies.”

He also reiterated that the University’s benefit increases have influenced the current and upcoming budget, citing a $36 million increase year to year with $24 million of that amount due to healthcare costs. 

Pivoting to opportunities for revenue generation, Assanis noted that the University has several initiatives underway that are projected to increase revenue in FY2025, such as the launch of more 4+1 graduate programs, enhancement of enrollment pathways, creation of multi-year faculty hiring plans that link to units’ allocated budgets and the exploration of differential tuition strategies and course fees, to name a few. 

Assanis closed by reinforcing confidence that UD will persevere and thrive as the campus community unifies and takes action. “We need to work together so that we can protect what we have, continue to enhance and advance what we have.”