Introduction

from the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT the University of Florida’s Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2019. This report provides timely, useful information about the University’s financial activities, status and well-being in the past fiscal year.

The mission of the Office of the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer is to provide leadership in financial planning, decision making and process improvement. We are continually seeking ways to provide financial support and guidance to the campus community and collaborate with partners across UF.

Here are some highlights from the year:

  • The University made great strides in the 2019 fiscal year, rising to its highest ranking ever as the No. 7 public university as reported in US News and World Report. Ranking factors include: undergraduate academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. It is a great honor to be recognized as one of the country’s very best public universities and we look forward to continued success.
  • The University is committed to bringing the world’s best talent to UF through the Faculty 500 initiative. This ongoing initiative to appoint an additional 500 faculty members to the University will increase our excellence in research and reduce student-faculty ratio and class sizes. The first wave of faculty joined the UF community in the fall 2018 semester and has brought their knowledge largely to the College of Liberal Arts, Engineering, and Agricultural and Life Sciences.
  • Research funding continues to be a major component of the University’s operating revenues, totaling an impressive $776 million for the fiscal year 2019 despite an increasingly competitive funding environment. The largest recipients were the College of Medicine - Gainesville ($284 million), the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences ($161 million), the College of Engineering ($90 million), and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences ($40 million).
  • The University is on pace to meet the $3 billion mark ahead of schedule of its Go Greater fundraising campaign. At this point, over $2.18 billion has been raised through the generosity of donors who believe in supporting the University’s mission. During the fiscal year 2019, contributions reached a record amount of $526 million in a single year. The Go Greater campaign is focused on four broad areas: health, environment, innovation, and globalization. These funds, and the earnings generated from UF’s endowment, help provide the resources to reach the level of excellence we seek and foster recognition of the University’s world-class achievements in learning, discovery, engagement, and economic development.
  • The Office of the CFO created a new unit called the Continuous Improvement Office tasked with building a culture of continuous improvement across the University. The Continuous Improvement model is the foundation of formal techniques such as Lean, Six Sigma, Agile and others. Areas such as foreign national hiring and payroll emergency checks have already made progress by streamlining processes, improving work quality, conserving resources and boosting morale.
  • Other highlights from the CFO Division include the modernization of the Finance and Accounting website, enhanced training courses, new guides and resources for campus fiscal employees, and the receipt of Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award from the National Procurement Institute (NPI) for the sixth consecutive year by UF Procurement.

In addition to the highlights and business process improvements noted above, construction continued during fiscal year 2019 on several major projects, including a new parking facility, the Wertheim Laboratory for Engineering Excellence, the new UF Gator Baseball Stadium, and the College of Education’s Norman Hall Rehabilitation and Center Addition. I encourage you to read the following report to learn more about the financial health and activities of the University of Florida – the state of Florida’s oldest and most comprehensive university – a place dear to us all and where preeminence thrives.

Most cordially, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Signature Michael V. McKee
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer