KU Climbs in NSF Rankings

KU continues to climb in the National Science Foundation (NSF) rankings. In the most recent NSF report, KU moved up two places to 51st among public universities and up five places to 78th among the more than 500 universities surveyed nationwide. Over the past two years, KU has jumped 15 spots among all universities in this important measure of federal research activity.

During fiscal year 2000, KU science and engineering research expenditures of federal funds reached approximately $69 million, an increase of about 21 percent from the $57 million in fiscal year 1999.

Chancellor Robert Hemenway said the higher rankings illustrate the level of research conducted at KU.

"The increase in federally funded research has a positive impact on our state economy, and it leads to more research projects that help improve the quality of life in Kansas," Hemenway said. "Our continued climb in the NSF rankings indicates we are well on our way toward reaching our goal of being among the top 25 public research institutions in the nation."

The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that every $1 million in university research creates about 40 jobs throughout the state. Just last week, KU officials announced that the total research expenditures for fiscal year 2001 topped $224 million. Applying the Commerce Department formula, that translates into almost 9,000 jobs throughout the state. (Story written by Janjit Arab with KU University Relations.)