By Zach Thomas
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The UA is now ranked 16th in research and development spending among all U.S. universities according to a recent national survey.
The University of Arizona, which spent $270 million in fiscal year 1994, jumped from $235.5 million the previous fiscal year.
The rankings, published annually by the National Science Foundation based in Washington, D.C., also placed the UA 11th in research and development spending among U.S. public universities.
"What this report establishes is that our faculty continues to be competitive nationally," said Michael Cusanovich, vice president for research and graduate studies.
Cusanovich stressed that dollars aren't the only way to rank research.
"Our strengths lie in the optics and astronomy areas and in the physical sciences," he said. "Agriculture has also moved up substantially in the rankings."
The difference in undergraduate and graduate research funding was unavailable, Cusanovich said.
The UA has received $293 million for the 1995 fiscal year, indicating that it may maintain its current ranking next year.
The university had a 14 percent increase in awards for fiscal 1995, Cusanovich said. "Based on that, we expect a significant improvement in the research expenditures."
The high expenditure ranking also indicates competitiveness on the national level. The National Science Foundation, for example, only funds 10 to 15 percent of the proposals it receives, Cusanovich said.
"The success that the UA has achieved is wholly based on the talent of our faculty," said Charles Geoffrion, associate vice president for research. "All of this comes at a time when there are more people chasing fewer dollars."
The largest UA research and development expenditures were made by science with $108.2 million, followed by: medicine, $73.2 million; agriculture, $22.8 million; engineering and mines, $18.6 million; vice president for Student Affairs, $12.9 million; senior vice president for Academic Affairs and provost, $10.5 million; vice president for research, $10.5 million; social and behavioral sciences, $8.5 million; pharmacy, $7.6 million; president's office, $7.25 million; education, $4.6 million; nursing, $3.1 million; and business and public administration, $2.5 million.