“We’ve improved graduation rates from 41% to 53.2% over the past five years, that’s a 29% magnitude of improvement. Our first to second year retention rates have improved in corresponding fashion. All of this is tied to affordability and making it easier for our students to get through the process financially and overcome that barrier. ”
– M. David Rudd, University of Memphis President
FIVE YEARS AGO, the University of Memphis was unranked among national universities
by U.S. News and World Report (USNRW). Entering 2020, the UofM is officially in the
top tier of those rankings. The University is No. 135 on the list of top public universities
and No. 138 in social mobility. Only two other schools in the State of Tennessee —
the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Tennessee Tech — are also in the top tier.
“This is great movement for the University of Memphis and the result of hard work
by so many,” said UofM President M. David Rudd. “It is rewarding to see the rest of
the country start to recognize what we have known for many years — that the University
of Memphis is a great university and some remarkable work is being done on our campus
and in our community. We are by no means done. Our next step is to move into the top
100 nationally.”
In order to gain recognition from the USNRW, the UofM formed a working group five
years ago to increase knowledge and visibility of the University across the country.
“The goal was simple: help our peers understand and recognize the great work being
done on our campus,” said Rudd. “We have made steady gains since the group started
working.”
The previous two years, the UofM was included in USNWR Tier 2 for national universities,
but did not receive individual recognition in the category
of top public schools since only the top tier is ranked. A ranking within the top
tier is a significant factor in helping the University expand its already growing
footprint nationally. “Many across the country simply were unaware of the great work
being done on our campus and in our community,” said Rudd. “The USNWR rankings are
both highly visible and arguably the most frequently used resource by students and
parents in making college decisions.”
Next Up: Carnegie R1
Achieving top tier status from USNWR is one major important step toward another high-priority
goal: Carnegie Research 1 status. The designation is given to institutions deemed
to have very high research activity as compared to others across the country.
As of the 2019 update, the UofM is currently among 135 schools in Carnegie R2. The
top tier consists of 131 schools. “There are only a few schools ahead of us now in
becoming an R1 school,” said Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal, executive vice president for research
and innovation. “If we become an R1 school in the next two years, it will be a fantastic
achievement. We will have jumped into a platform for bigger research grants. It will
change how we as an institution view ourselves. It will certainly open up a lot more
opportunities for our students to go work at great places because they’ll be coming
from a Carnegie R1 school.”
The UMRF Research Park is an essential piece in the push toward Carnegie R1 status.
Among the schools receiving the distinction, 95% have
an affiliated research park or similar facility. The UMRF Research Park has been highly
successful in its first year. The facility is currently at capacity with 12 tenants
and an expansion is in the works.
From a national perspective, achieving Carnegie R1 status would significantly help
increase the value of a degree from the UofM. While the quality of the educational
experience is already in place, it won’t be fully realized without this kind of national
recognition. “The value of the degree is not just quality,” said UofM President M.
David Rudd. “It’s coupled with a lot of things: visibility, recognition and overall
identity of the institution. I would tell you the quality of this education is as
good as any in the country. It’s not always understood because our visibility nationally
isn’t what some other universities have, but we’re building that.”
The public outdoor basketball court at Lewis-Davis Park has a new look: Memphis Tigers
blue and gray. In conjunction with the City of Memphis,
the University of Memphis coordinated the paint job as part of the Community Courts
initiative. In an effort to improve area parks, the initiative
will include the repainting of one court within the community annually.
“The UofM did a fantastic job with the repainting of this basketball court,” Memphis
Mayor Jim Strickland said. “Our parks serve as a cornerstone for neighborhoods, and
the new paint job gives park patrons another asset to be proud of. I’m grateful to
the UofM for its partnership and looking forward to more projects like this in the
future.”
Lewis-Davis Park is located on Pendleton Street in Orange Mound between Park Avenue
and Deadrick Avenue. It is the first location to receive a new paint job as part of
the University’s Community Courts effort.
“It is an exciting time to be a Tiger and a proud new member of the Memphis community,”
said Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch, who took over in October. “This is a
wonderful example of how a university and a city can work together for the good of
the entire community.”
UofM Makes History
For the first time in program history, Memphis football hosted ESPN College GameDay. This game marked the first time that Memphis and its opponent played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium while both teams were nationally ranked in both major polls (AP and USA Today/Coaches). The then-No. 24 Tigers defeated No. 15 SMU 54-48 in a game that broke the AAC attendance record for a conference game with 59,506.
The No. 17 Tigers defeated No. 21 Cincinnati 29-24 on Dec. 7 to win the American Athletic Conference Championship, claiming the program’s second conference title in six years and the first outright in 50 years. The victory earned the team a berth in the Cotton Bowl — a New Year’s Six bowl considered to be one of the most prestigious in the country.
Honorable Robert L. "Butch" Childers (BBA ’71, JD ’74)
Circuit Court Judge | Thirtieth Judicial District, Shelby County (Retired)
Honorable Bernice Bouie Donald (BA ’74, JD ’79)
United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Richard Glassman (BS ’69, JD ’72)
Managing Shareholder | Glassman, Wyatt, Tuttle & Cox, P.C.
R. Hunter Humphreys (JD ’77)
Member | Glankler Brown, PLLC
Connie Lewis Lensing
Retired Senior Vice President Legal | FedEx Express
Charles T. Tuggle Jr.
Executive VP & General Counsel | First Horizon National Corporation
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORSHIP AWARD
Demetria Frank
Assistant Professor of Law | University of Memphis
2019 FRIENDS OF THE LAW SCHOOL
The Bobango Family | John A. Bobango (JD ’83) & Lisa W. Bobango (JD ’83)
UofM and Porter-Leath Launch Partnership for Early Childhood Care
The UofM and Porter-Leath came together in 2019 to launch a new, innovative partnership
designed to help address a critical need for early childhood care in the Memphis community.
Through the generosity of a $3.5 million grant from the Urban Child Institute, the
partnership will provide a state-of-the-art educational facility to serve children
ages six weeks through pre-K. Construction is scheduled to start in fall 2020 with
a tentative opening date of January 2022.
