Graduates from UF are expected to do great things, but the 12 alumni serving in the U.S. Congress show just how far a UF degree can go.
UF was recently ranked among the top 20 universities with most alumni as congressional representatives, which placed it above Ivy League schools like Princeton University, Columbia University and Dartmouth College.
Although Harvard University, Georgetown University and Yale University topped the list, the majority of schools named in the top 20 were public universities from large states, like UF, the University of Texas and the University of Georgia.
Florida State University has four alumni in Congress.
Michael Martinez, a UF political science professor, said these colleges may produce the majority of congressional representation because they are the flagship, or leadership, universities in those states. Larger states have more representatives and more opportunities for alumni to be elected.
“I think it shows that within each state there are universities that attract the next generation of political leaders, and I think that’s UF in Florida,” he said.
UF has a history of producing those kinds of students, which Martinez said led the political science department to create a graduate program and undergraduate certificate in political campaigning.
He said two of the Gator graduates in Congress, Thomas Rooney and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, went through this program.
“People wanted to have a degree program that would teach them the skills that would be useful in political careers,” Martinez said.
Besides creating role models to inspire current UF students, Martinez said having alumni in Congress may give UF an advantage in legislative issues.
“There are 12 members of Congress that will hopefully at least open the door and listen to what UF has to say,” he said.
Hadar Arazi, a 19-year-old UF political science sophomore and Student Senator representing the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said she was inspired by the accomplishments of Gator graduates before her.
“I think it shows that anybody can go on to be a representative if it’s something that you really want,” she said. “I think it’s cool that there are so many footsteps to follow in.”
Student Senator Bradley Bean, a 19-year-old UF industrial systems engineering sophomore, said although the announcement comes as no surprise to him, having so many alumni in Congress speaks volumes about the value of a UF education.
“It means that our education is preparing us for leadership roles in the real world,” he said. “I think it’s great to know that our education actually means something.”
UF alumni in Congress
• Marco Rubio — BA
• Corinne Brown — MA and EDS
• John Mica — BA
• Debbie Wasserman Schultz — BA and MA
• Gus Bilirakis — MA
• Thomas Rooney — MA
• Ted S. Yoho — BS and MA
• Bill Nelson — attended before transferring to Yale
• Jeff Miller — BA
• Kathy Castor — PhD
• Ander Crenshaw — BA
• Dennis Ross — BS
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 2/27/2014 under the headline "UF recognized for having 12 Gators in Congress"]
