UNF excels in key performance areas as outlined by the SUS of Florida

The University of North Florida has continually excelled in major performance and student success areas and has received its highest number of performance-based (PBF) points to date as shared by the State University System (SUS) of Florida.

In the newest numbers released by the SUS Board of Governors for 2020-21, UNF has risen from 78 points last year to 83 points under the direction of UNF President David Szymanski and new initiatives targeted towards improving metric performance. Since 2017, UNF has improved by a total of 25 points, giving UNF the largest point increase in the entire SUS during that time.

UNF was specifically recognized by the SUS Board of Governors for having high scores in:

• Percent of bachelor’s graduates employed or enrolled one year after graduation
• Median wages of bachelor’s graduates employed full-time one year after graduation
• Average cost to the student
• Bachelor’s degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis
• Percent of baccalaureate degrees awarded without excess hours.

“We continue to strive for excellence in all areas throughout UNF that will benefit and contribute to the success of our students,” said Szymanski. “Our high scoring by the State University System outlines our diligent efforts and new initiatives implemented to increase the University’s efficiency and performance.”

The SUS Performance-Based Funding Model allocates points to Florida’s twelve public universities based on ten efficiency, performance and student success metrics. The total points impact how much state funding each institution receives based on their scores.

UNF met or exceeded its annual goals on eight of the 10 metrics this year, the second highest success rate in the SUS. In addition, UNF has ranked in the top three in the SUS in point improvements for each of the last three years. Since 2016, UNF has improved every year on five of the 10 metrics, the second-best school in the SUS in that regard.

UNF’s strong points this year when compared to other SUS schools also included:

• Being the only SUS school to increase its student access rate versus last year, thereby allowing more students greater access to our unique higher-education experience
• Elevating the four-year graduation rate by 6 percentage points, the second-highest increase in the SUS
• Achieving the second-highest increase in graduate degrees in strategic emphasis
• Improving the first-year retention rate by the third-highest amount    
• Raising starting salaries for bachelor’s graduates by the fourth-highest amount
• Increasing bachelor’s degrees in strategic emphasis by the fourth-highest amount

UNF continues to work diligently to decrease the net cost that students pay and to focus efforts on improving student retention and graduation rates, including enhancing academic support initiatives such as supplemental instruction and peer-assisted student success, as well as launching a new persistence advocacy program.

In addition to its high PBF metric performance this year, UNF leads the state in the percentage of its graduates employed full-time in Florida one year after graduation. Ninety percent of UNF seniors who responded to the National Survey of Student Engagement in 2019 said they take part in internships and other high-impact practices in their fields before they graduate, and about half reported having a job already lined up before they graduate.

More information on UNF’s performance-based funding metrics can be found at https://www.unf.edu/president/metrics.html.