and 28 percent first-generation; rankings by Forbes as the number one Best Large Employer in America (ahead of such organizations as the Mayo Clinic, NASA and Google); Continued development of novel, interdisciplinary academic programs and the Blazer Core Curriculum, and 16 graduate programs among the nation's top 25 in U.S. News & World Report, including the number one Master's in Health Administration; UAB's most successful fundraising year ever, including a transformative $95 million gift from Dr. Marnix and Mary Heersink to name the Heersink School of Medicine, the single largest philanthropic commitment in UAB history; and the opening of Protective Stadium, the new home of Blazer Football and what Watts called a "monumental shared achievement" and "one of the greatest examples of public-private partnership" he had ever seen. Watts concluded, "We will not stop. We are never satisfied. We will continue to strive for excellence in everything that we do, and not even a global pandemic can deter our innovation and our drive to serve—and that's important, to serve—and to succeed. We've emerged all the stronger, one of the strongest universities in America....and it's all thanks to you, and your leadership, your willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty no matter how difficult it was, working seven days a week, 365....But we've come through this pandemic and we hope we're at the tail of this recent [omicron] surge....So I just want to say thank you to all of you and tell you how very proud I am to be in the UAB community alongside you all." Fiscal year 2021 continued what Watts called "the most successful era of research funding in UAB history," with a record $648 million in research awards (an increase of 46% since FY2016), putting UAB 17th (top 4%) among public universities in federal R&D expenditures and 11th (top 4%) in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additionally, UAB Hospital had grown to become the 8th largest hospital in the U.S. (1,207 beds), passing Mount Sinai (1,139 beds) and Johns Hopkins (1,162 beds). Birmingham Business Journal named Watts 2021 CEO of the Year. Watts said of the award, "I am grateful for the acknowledgment of the work we have done as an institution, and I am privileged to be supported by the outstanding leadership and teamwork that made it possible for me to be considered for this award..... UAB is successful because