3:22 p.m., March 26, 2009----The Diamond Report, a new brochure highlighting the University of Delaware's considerable value to the Diamond State and beyond, is now available.

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Universities have long played an important role in making economies work, and through their academic, research, and service missions, they remain a key agent for transforming and improving our world. Nearly 60 percent of all research yielding technological breakthroughs and significant economic dividends in this country is conducted on college campuses.

“The University is a key engine of Delaware's economic growth,” UD President Patrick Harker said. “UD faculty and graduate students are leading research in critical areas, including alternative energies, biotechnology, agriculture, and the health sciences. As one of the state's largest employers, UD has a significant direct and indirect impact on the local and regional economies. And UD's legions of alumni are stoking economic development throughout the state, the nation, and the world.”

The estimated total economic impact of UD in Delaware exceeds $750 million.

Current economic conditions are affecting universities across the country. According to a front-page article in the March 17 issue of The New York Times, widespread layoffs, salary freezes, and program cuts are becoming common at public universities around the nation.

Despite these very real economic challenges, the University of Delaware is continuing on the path of its strategic plan. “We will pace some initiatives more slowly than originally planned, but remain focused on our chief priorities: increasing University access for Delawareans, and providing the core services that support undergraduate and graduate education, research and discovery learning,” said David Brond, UD vice president of communications and marketing.

“We have a profound obligation to the students and citizens we serve,” said Scott Douglass, UD executive vice president. “And so, unlike some other public universities, we are weathering this economic storm by managing our finances prudently, making strategic reductions in resources, postponing some costly initiatives, and implementing Responsibility-Based Budgeting.”

The Diamond Report is being shared with a number of audiences: Gov. Jack Markell, state legislators, the University's board of trustees, the UD Alumni Association's board of directors, area business leaders, and on-campus recruiters.

University alumni will see the brochure in a special section of the upcoming UD Messenger, and the general public will receive it as an insert in the News Journal. UD now has 140,000 living alumni, and 41,000 of them make their home in Delaware.

Visit the companion Diamond Report Web site for additional information on how UD is playing a pivotal role in the knowledge economy.

Preparing the Diamond Report

The Diamond Report was edited by Beth Chajes, communications specialist in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy and the Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM), designed by Molly Chappell, senior art director in OCM, and printed at the University of Delaware's Graphic Communications Center.

The report draws its name from one of Delaware's nicknames, the Diamond State, so called by Thomas Jefferson because it was a “jewel” among the states for its strategic location on the Eastern seaboard.