The University of Florida is a top-five public university in the U.S. based on the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges ranking. The Department of Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida is one of the top 77 microbiology research units globally and 14th in terms of the number of Microbiology publications. The Department can maintain these high rankings in educational programs and offer leading undergraduate, graduate, and distance education programs since it is supported by excellent resources, faculty, staff, and students. Our Department's faculty includes winners of prestigious awards. For instance, two of our faculty are fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and two are fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology.

The Department of Microbiology and Cell Science accomplishments that allow for this continuous distinction in teaching and research can also be attributed to your continuous support. You can help accelerate our efforts by providing gifts to The Department of Microbiology and Cell Science to conduct high-impact research on infectious viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, but also microorganisms of agricultural value. We endeavor to develop new approaches to prevent and treat infectious diseases of humans, animals, and plants through our research. Specifically, unrestricted gifts allow us to direct funding to areas with the most urgent needs.

The following initiatives are supported by the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science:

• MCS Foundation Fund: This fund supports all programs within the Department, including the Max E Tyler seminar series.
• Lonnie Ingram Endowment Fund: The foundation supports students and faculty in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science. When gifts to the Fund will be used to sponsor an endowed professorship in the future.
• Lab Building/Extension Fund: This fund supports the construction and expansion of the microbiology lab to provide additional physical space and access to all students seeking microbiology lab course instruction. Once construction is complete, any remaining funds shall support undergraduate and graduate students in Microbiology.