In Dec. 2019, Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal spoke to MBJ about University of Memphis’ goal to gain R1 status from the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.
“You want to [be] in tier one rather than tier two; and in research, we aspire to become a tier-one school, so we get better,” the school’s EVP for research and innovation said. “It helps our national reputation.”
At the time, gaining the distinction wasn’t guaranteed. Though Dhaliwal and co. were confident; it’s a highly competitive process, and universities around the country were jostling for a spot on the list.
But now, two years later, U of M has earned R1 status, joining an elite group and establishing itself as a top-tier research institution.
