Once again, many of WSU's programs have significantly improved their total R & D expenditures, a feat difficult to do during serious tightening of university funds. Key growth areas include social sciences by 24.4%, life sciences by 13.4%, physical sciences by 10.6%, and engineering by 7%. Wayne State's rank for medical sciences held on to the 22nd spot - a growth of 12 spots from ten years ago. Chemistry and physics both climbed the ladder; four spots to 47 in chemistry and two spots to 41 in physics.
"Wayne State has strong research programs in medicine, chemistry and physics, and all other areas are experiencing growth as well," stated Dr. John P. Oliver, vice president for research at Wayne State. "Our continued growth in the ranks is reflective of the high caliber of our researchers. With increased collaboration among WSU's schools and colleges and with other universities and industry, I anticipate our numbers to continue to grow," said Oliver.
"The university has set a course to continue to rise in the research rankings, so stay tuned for exciting discoveries coming out of our labs," commented Dr. Gloria Heppner, associate vice president for research at WSU. WSU's leaders have laid out a challenge to place WSU research among the outstanding universities in the U.S., and with the right investments in faculty, facilities and infrastructure, there is great potential to reach this goal," Heppner added.
Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. In the past 7 years, Wayne State's research has grown over 11 percent annually, with research expenditures reaching nearly $199 million in 2002. Approximately two-thirds of research at WSU is focused on the health sciences, and this focus has led our School of Medicine to climb the National Science Foundation rankings to 22.
Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world.