Jump to content

University of North Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Yllosubmarine (talk | contribs) at 20:34, 19 April 2008 (UNF does not redirect here). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

University of North Florida
File:UNF seal.png
MottoNo one like you.
No place like this.
TypePublic
Established1969
Endowment$90 million[1]
PresidentJohn Delaney
Academic staff
572[2]
Undergraduates13,934[2]
Postgraduates1,685 [2]
Location
Jacksonville
,
Florida
,
USA
Campus1,300 acres (5.3 km²)
ColorsNavy blue and Gray   
NicknameOspreys
MascotOzzie and Harriet Osprey
Websitewww.unf.edu
File:UNF logo.png

The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public university in Jacksonville, Florida. It currently has an enrollment of more than 16,000 students and employs over 500 full-time faculty. The current president is former Jacksonville mayor John Delaney.

In March 2006, The Princeton Review ranked UNF number five in their list of "America's Best Value Colleges,"[3] and also named UNF as a "Best Southeastern College".[4] UNF's status as a "Best Value College" was recently reaffirmed in the 2008 edition of the Princeton Review.[5]

History

The university was founded in 1969 after one thousand acres (4 km²) midway between downtown Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Beaches was put aside for the campus. Originally UNF was designated as a "senior" college, meaning that it would enroll only upper classmen and graduate students. In 1984, freshmen and sophomores were admitted for the first time.

Construction on classrooms and buildings began in 1971 and classes were first held on campus in 1972. Initial enrollment was 2,027 students, and UNF graduated a total of thirty-five students in 1973. The school was quick to expand, and was given accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1974. In 1980, it was suggested that UNF merge with University of Florida and no longer be a self-sustained institution, but a bill proposing this was vetoed by Governor Bob Graham.

The school's mascot is the osprey and was officially adopted in November 1979 over other popular choices such as the armadillo, the manatee and the seagull.[6] The male and female versions of the mascot are known as Ozzie and Harriet.

In 1995 enrollment for the University broke 10,000, and in Spring 2000 the University broke its own graduation record, graduating over 1,000 students.[7]

Campus features

UNF Social Sciences Buidling, Building 51

UNF has twenty-eight major buildings and five housing facilities on campus. Many of the buildings bear the names of individuals who have made significant donations to the university, whether it be monetary or otherwise. Some of these buildings include the Coggin College of Business, the John E. Mathews, Jr. Computer and Information Sciences Building, and J. J. Daniel Hall. In addition, the current library bears the name of the university's first president, Thomas G. Carpenter.[8] A Student Union is currently under construction and is set to open in the Spring of 2009.[9] The Student Union will cost of $50 million and will be 148,000 square feet.[10] The new Social Science building (building 51) received the 2007 Award of Excellence for University Building by the Southeast Construction Company for Energy and Environmental Design.[11] There is also a state-protected wildlife and bird sanctuary featuring miles of nature trails and numerous lakes and ponds with an abundance of wildlife on and around campus, from armadillos to alligators.

The first newspaper on campus for students began as The Halyard and ran from 1974-1976. It was followed by The Phoenix (1976-1977) and The Spinnaker (1977-present). In 2005 The Spinnaker won the Associated Collegiate Press's "Best of Show" award for the No. 1 weekly tabloid-size student newspaper in the U.S.

The size of the campus has grown to 1,300 acres (5.3 km2). In the Fall of 2007, the University began offering a free shuttle service, which travels to various popular places on campus, including the dorms, UNF Hall, parking lots, and the UNF Arena.[12]

UNF's Greek life is the largest student entity on campus with approximately 1,500 students and has tripled in size in the past year. Fraternities include Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Upsilon, Chi Phi, Kappa Alpha Order, Kappa Alpha Psi, Kappa Sigma, Pi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Sigma,Sigma Alpha Epsilon,Omega Psi Phi, and Sigma Chi.

Sororities include Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Gamma, Delta Sigma Theta, Gamma Eta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Zeta Phi Beta, Zeta Tau Alpha, and Sigma Gamma Rho.

UNF has a monthly TV show called “UNF: Campus Connection.” The show airs locally on The CW Television Network, Dishnetwork and across the state on public access stations. Past episodes are available on UNF's webpage [1]

Library

The Thomas G. Carpenter Library, or building 12, is named after the Universities first president, Thomas G. Carpenter. Groundbreaking began on August 8th, 1978 and was completed on October 1st, 1980.[13] Dedication was on August 15th, 1981, the speech was given by the then Interim President Dr. Andrew A. Robinson.[2] The dedication was followed by the Summer 1981 Commencement.[3]

In May of 2004 construction began on expanding the Library by adding a 4 story addition. This addition added 79,000 square feet and increased the capacity of the Library from 800 to 2,000, bringing the total square feet of the Library to 199,000. Construction costs were $22.5 million. The new addition was opened in December 2005.

Currently the Library has 300 public workstations, 17 group study rooms, 37 carrels, 21 faculty, 24 support staff, over 1.4 million microform units, over 800 videos, 13,000 electronic journals, over 52,000 electronic books, and over 800,000 volumes. Electronic resources are available off campus. Free wireless Internet is provided throughout the entire building. [14]

Housing

The University of North Florida has five areas of on-campus housing, three of which offer similar, suite/efficiency-like rooms: "The Crossings," "Osprey Landing," and "Osprey Cove" each of these designed for triple occupancy. Additionally, "Osprey Hall" offers more a traditional, dorm-like environment with double occupancy along with communal bathrooms and showers. "Osprey Village" offers an apartment-like feel with either double or quadruple occupancy. "Osprey Hall," "The Crossings" and "Osprey Landing" are designated for freshmen. "Osprey Cove" and "Osprey Village" are upperclassmen residences.

As part of a master plan for the school, construction on the new dorms known as "Osprey Fountains" is underway at the east end of campus off of Kernan Blvd. Osprey Fountains will be a 5 story building housing 1,000 students and consist of 365,000 square feet. The project is estimated to cost $86 million.[10]

The majority of UNF students reside off campus. Many live in apartment complexes, such as Melrose, and condominium complexes close to the University. The bulk, however, reside at private residences in various parts of Jacksonville and the surrounding areas.

Academics

UNF is organized into five colleges which offer 52 undergraduate degree programs and 28 graduate-degree programs with a 2003 student-to-faculty ratio of 22:1:

  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • Coggin College of Business
  • College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
  • College of Education and Human Services
  • Brooks College of Health

In 1990, UNF began its first doctoral program, the Ed.D - Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership. In March 2007 it was announced that the university will be offering two additional health care doctoral programs in Nursing Practice and Physical Therapy beginning in fall 2007.[15]

UNF also offers an honors program and a division of continuing education.

Notable/Flagship Programs

The Department of Music is very well known for its Jazz Studies Program, founded by famed jazz euphonium player Rich Matteson and currently headed by legendary saxophonist Bunky Green. The UNF Jazz Ensemble I is internationally renowned, having performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, a two week tour of China, and was twice named the top collegiate jazz band in the nation by Down Beat Magazine.[16] A special component of the UNF Jazz Studies Program is the Great American Jazz Series, which regularly brings in stellar jazz artists as residents. This series, along with other opportunities, has enabled students to perform in concert with more than 100 esteemed artists, such as Herbie Hancock, the Count Basie Orchestra, Joe Henderson, Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, Dave Brubeck, Joe Williams, Dianne Reeves, Louie Bellson, Billy Taylor, Arturo Sandoval, Jimmy Heath, Wynton Marsalis, and Branford Marsalis, among many others.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

Two of the Coggin College of Business flagship programs are Transportation and Logistics and International Business. The Transportation and Logistics program was ranked 13th in the nation by Supply Chain Management Review, paving the way for national prominence. The college came in ahead of the highly regarded programs at Stanford, Harvard, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, and is the leading logistics program in the southeast.[17] Also the COB is one of 549 schools that is accredited by the AACSB which honors the best business schools in the world.[18]

Athletics

UNF athletics logo
UNF athletics logo

UNF competes at the NCAA Division I level. Sports such as volleyball and basketball are played on campus in the UNF Arena.The Ospreys are a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. UNF competes in 17 sports and has won the Sunshine State Conference's all-sports title four times. In 2005 the Men's Baseball team competed for the Division II world series, capturing 2nd place overall. In addition the men's tennis team also was national Division II runners-up. UNF has captured the Peach Belt Conference Commissioner's Cup five consecutive times. The Ospreys have brought home four national titles—men's golf in 1991 and 1993, and women's tennis in 1986 and 1994. In 2004, UNF announced its move to NCAA Division I for all sports. The move began in Fall 2005 and will be complete in spring 2009. The Ospreys will be eligible for NCAA post season competition in all sports in the 2009-2010 academic year. Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe visited UNF to organize preparations for an international club rugby league game that will be played at the university. Crowe's South Sydney Rabbitohs played against the Leeds Rhinos on January 26, 2008 at Hodges Stadium.

See also

References

  1. ^ UNF Audit, 2005
  2. ^ a b c 2007 Fact Sheet
  3. ^ Press Release
  4. ^ Press Release
  5. ^ Princeton Review Names UNF A ‘Best Value’ College, Press Release For: April 24, 2007
  6. ^ Warner, Gary. "How the Osprey Became UNF's Mascot". Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  7. ^ "UNF History: From Past to Present". Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  8. ^ "UNF From the Ground Up: Colleges, Buildings, and Sites". Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  9. ^ Student Union plans unveiled
  10. ^ a b 2007 Facilities Fact SheetFacilities Fact Sheet
  11. ^ UNF's social sciences building gets recognition, Florida Times Union Article
  12. ^ Diener, Sarah (2007-08-22). "On-campus shuttle routes open" (PDF). The Spinnaker. Retrieved 2007-09-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ UNF From the Ground Up:Named Buildings, Colleges, and Sites Thomas G. Carpenter Library
  14. ^ Thomas G. Carpenter Fact Sheet
  15. ^ UNF Prescribes Two New Health Care Doctoral Programs, press release, March 29, 2007
  16. ^ UNF Department of Music Ensembles
  17. ^ Spring 2006 Coggin College of Business Newsletter
  18. ^ AACSB profile on UNF's Coggin College of Business
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=University_of_North_Florida&oldid=206754982"