Tag: University research

LSU Amongst Top Research Universities per National Science Foundation

Louisiana State University (LSU) has once again demonstrated its prominence in academic research, with the National Science Foundation (NSF) confirming the university’s record-breaking research expenditures of $488 million for the 2023 fiscal year. This marks a significant 14% growth compared to the previous year, underscoring LSU’s steady ascent among top research institutions. While this achievement was initially announced by LSU via this news release, the NSF’s confirmation highlights the university’s impressive performance alongside peers such as the University of Kentucky and the University of Tennessee.

The 14% increase represents a historic milestone for LSU, attributed to a surge in research activities across its campuses. Leading contributors to this growth include LSU’s flagship campus in Baton Rouge, as well as LSU Health New Orleans and LSU Health Shreveport. These efforts reflect LSU’s commitment to enhancing its research capabilities across various disciplines and fostering impactful collaborations.

LSU’s progress is not only reflected in its financial achievements but also in its national rankings. Among U.S. research institutions, LSU’s collective campuses—including the flagship Baton Rouge campus, LSU AgCenter,Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and the LSU Health campuses—rose from 71st to 69th place in national rankings. This improvement is particularly notable considering the average growth rate of research universities across the nation was 11% in 2023.

This rise places LSU in a competitive position among its peers, highlighting its ability to maintain momentum in a challenging and fast-evolving research landscape. The increase in rankings demonstrates LSU’s effectiveness in fostering partnerships and securing funding to support groundbreaking projects.

LSU has distinguished itself as a leader in federally funded research, excelling in areas such as life sciences, geosciences, mathematics, statistics, and computer and information sciences. These strengths align seamlessly with the goals of the university’s Scholarship First Agenda, an initiative aimed at addressing pressing challenges in agriculture, biomedicine, coastal restoration, defense, and energy.

The university’s ability to secure federal grants has not only enhanced its research capacity but also reinforced its commitment to creating innovative solutions for Louisiana and beyond. Each year, LSU research contributes an estimated $1.3 billion to the state’s economy, demonstrating the tangible impact of its academic pursuits.

Robert Twilley, LSU’s Vice President of Research and Economic Development, emphasized the significance of the university’s accomplishments. Twilley explained that the National Science Foundation findings validate LSU’s commitment to growth and innovation, particularly in addressing the needs of Louisiana and supporting the Scholarship First Agenda. He also noted that the rise in federal grants signals increased confidence in LSU’s ability to tackle complex challenges at both the state and national levels.

LSU’s success is further illuminated by data from the Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey. Conducted annually, this survey is a critical resource for understanding research expenditures across U.S. colleges and universities. Institutions that spend at least $150,000 in separately accounted research and development (R&D) annually participate in this comprehensive census.

The HERD Survey breaks down expenditures by research field and funding source, providing an in-depth analysis of trends in higher education. In 2023, total R&D spending by academic institutions reached an impressive $108.8 billion, marking the largest annual increase since 2003. Notably, higher education R&D expenditures have grown at a compound annual rate of 5% over the past decade, reflecting the increasing importance of academic research in driving innovation. Salaries, wages, and benefits for R&D personnel accounted for the largest share of direct costs, totaling $47.1 billion. This investment underscores the critical role of skilled professionals in advancing research goals and achieving institutional success.

LSU’s historic growth in research expenditures is a testament to its dedication to academic excellence and innovation. By leveraging federal funding and fostering strategic partnerships, the university is poised to continue making significant contributions to both the local and global community. As research priorities evolve, LSU remains committed to addressing emerging challenges and driving economic growth in Louisiana.

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UL Lafayette Achieves Elite Tier of Carnegie Classification for Research

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is now ranked at the highest level of research institutions in the United States, according to a news release from the university. According to the latest update from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, UL Lafayette achieved Carnegie’s elite R1 designation, placing the school among the highest tier of public and private research institutions, something that only 3% of the United States’s colleges and universities have achieved.

Achieving the status of being a recognized R-1 institution indicates that a higher learning institution has met high standards in research spending, staff levels, and the number of doctorates awarded annually. Being classified as a Research-1 or R-1 institution not only elevated UL Lafayette and its profile, allowing the school to draw more prestigious and learned faculty, but it also is likely to attract more research dollars and private support.

Having an R1 status is synonymous with achieving remarkable levels of academic excellence, substantial research, transformative innovation, and lasting global impact. Other R-1 institutions in the country are Duke, Emory, Carnegie-Mellon, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard, and Rice. In addition to UL Lafayette, Louisiana’s only other R-1 institutions are Louisiana State University and Tulane University.

UL Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie said of the milestone, “the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is excited to have achieved R-1 status and to take our place among the top tier of the nation’s research universities. The designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning is a recognition of the strength of our research program. It is a tribute to the faculty, staff and student researchers whose work has pushed the bounds of scholarship and innovation and drawn significant national and international attention to the University and to the region it is proud to serve.”

Carnegie classifications for Doctoral Universities are given to institutions that award at least 20 research/scholarship doctoral degrees during a year and institutions with fewer than 20 research/scholarship doctoral degrees awarded at least 30 professional practice doctoral degrees in at least 2 programs. Both of these categories of institutions must also have had at least $5 million in total research expenditures according to the National Science Foundation Higher Research & Development Survey. The three levels of Carnegie’s designations for such higher learning institutions are:

  • R1: Doctoral Universities- Very high research activity
  • R2: Doctoral Universities- High research activity
  • D/PU: Doctoral/Professional Universities.

At the tail end of 2021, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that UL Lafayette was among nine other universities that were promoted to Carnegie’s highest classification of “Doctoral/Very High Research” institutions.  The other universities elevated were:

University of Louisiana System President and CEO Jim Henderson said, “this tremendous accomplishment is the realization of a purposeful research vision centered on improving life in Louisiana and around the globe. I want to congratulate President Savoie, Vice President (Ramesh) Kolluru, and the faculty of UL Lafayette for achieving this designation, an achievement of nearly unrivaled importance for our state and her people.”

Since 1970, the Carnegie Classification has stood as the leading framework for “describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education for the past four and a half decades,” as per the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. For four and a half decades, this classification has served as a benchmark of excellence when it comes to institutions of higher learning, and for UL Lafayette to not only join the R1 Doctoral University ranks of LSU and Tulane but also ivy league schools, it’s a momentous achievement that only makes the post-secondary educational experience in Louisiana that much stronger.

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