The University of Delaware will raise tuition for its most expensive degree programs, hire additional faculty and take other measures aimed at further improving its academic standing.
Another planned initiative is adding an entrepreneur certificate program at all of UD’s colleges.
“Our most important job is preparing students to succeed in the 21st century,” said President Dennis Assanis. “This drives everything we do. The university must provide the very best academic experiences, tools and training possible to ensure our students’ success today and tomorrow.
The university also is committed to fueling Delaware’s economic growth and driving innovation by positioning students to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges, Assanis added.
UD received a record number of applications from prospective freshmen for the 2017-18 academic year— 27,800 —a 5.6 percent increase over the prior year. Over the past five years, first-year enrollment has gone up 13 percent, from 3,808 in 2013.
Assanis said strategic investments will allow the university to enhance its competitive position in the education marketplace while increasing access and opportunity for even more undergraduates.
Plans include:
- Increasing undergraduate student enrollment by more than 1,000 over the next five years, with an emphasis on diversity and increasing access for Delawareans.
- Hiring 500-600 new faculty members over the next five to seven years. The recruitment effort will bring the total number of faculty to more than 1,500—a net increase of about 250 from 2016.
- Construction and development of new buildings and programs to enhance interdisciplinary research and instruction in key areas. Examples include a new Biopharmaceutical Innovation Building; a new 10-story tower at the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus to house the College of Health Sciences and high-tech commercial tenants; and the Biden Institute.
- -Providing new learning environments needed to keep pace with advancing technologies, including upgrading labs, research equipment, classrooms, and, in the longer term, adding a new interdisciplinary science building.
- Doubling graduate student enrollment in the next 10 years through the creation of a Graduate College.
- Enhancing and expanding access to degree programs in engineering, health sciences and business and economics.
- Ensuring an entrepreneurial experience for every undergraduate by embedding entrepreneurship in nine-credit certificates offered through every college.
- Building new residence halls.
- -Expanding academic support services like advising and career services for all students to improve UD’s graduation and placement rates.
UD noted that the Delaware First fundraising and engagement campaign, which publicly launched in November, is critical. The campaign seeks to raise $750 million from at least 100,000 donors by 2020. The campaign has already raised nearly $590 million toward this goal, most of which has been invested in facilities such as the Harker Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Lab and scholarship funds to benefit students.
UD instituted a “new differential charge” for undergraduate students in three areas: the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, the College of Engineering and the School of Nursing.
The differential charge will help align resources with the higher cost of instruction for the three areas, which is higher than in other UD programs.
The differential charge will support continued growth and power ongoing competitive advantage for UD programs and students,
For further information on the differential charge, please visit UD’s website.
