As Jacksonville grows, UNF aims to enroll 25,000 students by 2028

[thelakelander]

University of North Florida officials are nursing dramatic plans to grow enrollment by nearly 50 percent over five years, reaching 25,000 students by 2028.

They've embraced the first new on-campus housing construction in 15 years, a 521-bed dorm for honors students, as a sign of changes to come.

"We want UNF to be the destination of choice. ... Today, we are starting the work," UNF President Moez Limayem told supporters at a ceremonial groundbreaking last week for the four-story, roughly 165,000-square-foot residence hall that's already under construction, slated to open in the fall of 2025.

Full article: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/education/2024/02/14/unf-aims-to-have-25000-students-by-2028-near-50-growth-over-5-years/72514082007/

[Charles Hunter]

We can only hope future governors and legislatures will reverse the DeSantisization of the State University System, so students will want to come here.

[marcuscnelson]

This originally came up in another thread last year:

https://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,37704.0.html

Jacksonville certainly has room for more college students, and having two larger state universities (plus growing JU and FSCJ) could really help expand the profile of the city. But like Charles says, the state's recent treatment of higher education seems likely to have a depressing effect for both students and faculty. Maybe that will turn around one day, but until then I think one is increasingly hard-pressed to want to learn or teach in Florida as opposed to elsewhere. No income tax or (constantly under threat of cuts) Bright Futures can only go so far.

[jcjohnpaint]

Being the chair of a search right now, candidates are really concerned. The problem is, we don't see how many choose to not apply.

[Charles Hunter]

Thanks, marcus, for mentioning that the Hillsdale model will also drive away existing and deter new quality instructors from working in the DeSantis Anti-Woke college system. A lack of quality instructors will further disincentivize prospective students.  Of course, the MAGAts will claim it will draw "non-woke" instructors and students, but is that a good thing?

[simms3]

Of course, the MAGAts will claim it will draw "non-woke" instructors and students, but is that a good thing?

Yes.  Y'all don't even seem to know how tired people are of wokism, and people are really starting to see and feel the effects of it.  Trans ideology is finally on the downswing (we are going to look back on this era of trans hysteria and a senile walking dead man as president and think WTF happened, what kind of poison from hell led to all of this).  Employers and fellow employees of older persuasions and times have seen the effects of wokism on the latest crop of applicants and workers.  It's just a disaster all around.

Yes, we are tired of it and want a return to normalcy, eg a return to 15 years ago mentalities and before.  By the way, race relations were relatively great in the late 90s and into the 2000s.  We welcome a return to that as well, but wokism threatens relations of all sorts, creating victim classes and amping up victim mentalities and pitting people against each other.

It's amazing how you all truly are believers and adherents to these ideologies and you literally can't see how terrible things have gotten culturally in this country with the advent of wokism and everything attached to it, and how tired people are of it.

Droves of people are moving to FL, away from NY, IL, CA and other states.  What could you possibly mean there won't be anyone looking to fill woke professorships with normalcy?

And if we have gotten to a point where 90% of all professors in academia are woke, yes, it would be better to not have them at all than to have them indoctrinating future generations to hate this country and fall prey to all sorts of evil and degenerate ideologies.  There are plenty of lucrative trades that involve skills that can make people money without having to take gender studies classes in some university.

[simms3]

On a separate note, I always thought UNF should be larger and compete with UCF and USF.  It holds Jax back to have it so small.

But we need to ensure it grows with technical degrees in engineering, business, computer science, etc, not with liberal arts degrees.

[marcuscnelson]

I dunno man, I was at a state university not that long ago and a lot of the hysteria seemed obviously overplayed then. Unless you're trying to say that somehow this only actually became a problem between 2021 when I graduated and now, I don't think the evidence really backs what you're claiming. Some people are trans, that's not a big deal. It's their life, not mine. I know plenty and they seem a lot happier being themselves than trying to cover that up to satisfy someone else.

The idea of using state power in a desperate attempt to rewind culture to 15 years ago sounds patently absurd. And willing to burn our education system to the ground if it means you feel you've punished or pushed out people you don't agree with seems like a bad way to keep a place competitive long-term. It's not like it's proving more economical to pull these stunts either, look at how much more Richard Corcoran is being paid at New College over his predecessor, or Ben Sasse at UF compared to his predecessor. I don't see the value of ruining a perfectly fine thing for an ideological project against a minority of people when we have so many real, bigger problems in this state.

[Jax_Developer]

100% depends where you went to school. Not going to elaborate but what simms described 100% for fact exists in many states. Maybe not in Florida, that I don't know, but nationwide this is a growing trend in many states. My faculty was close to 100% "woke" and they were very outward about that, & I'm not reading into anything by stating that. Since, the few non-tenured folks have surprisingly not had their contracts renewed overtime.

Also, close to 30% of my tuition went towards DEI salary & budget. I'm not against DEI, but 30%? I think there needs to be some light casted on the schools taking advantage of these programs & inflating college tuition. Again, can't speak on the greater UF system as I never attended.

[Ken_FSU]

On a separate note, I always thought UNF should be larger and compete with UCF and USF.  It holds Jax back to have it so small.

But we need to ensure it grows with technical degrees in engineering, business, computer science, etc, not with liberal arts degrees.

Pulled some numbers.

Definitely the slowest growth in the 21st century of the major Florida universities.

Glad to see UNF finally make a major growth push. Sky is the limit there, and hopefully many of UNF's new graduates choose Jax long-term.

Just need to hope DeSantis doesn't do long-term damage with HB 999.

[Captain Zissou]

Also, close to 30% of my tuition went towards DEI salary & budget. I'm not against DEI, but 30%? I think there needs to be some light casted on the schools taking advantage of these programs & inflating college tuition.

Just curious, but what do you mean by DEI salaries? 

[thelakelander]

100% depends where you went to school. Not going to elaborate but what simms described 100% for fact exists in many states. Maybe not in Florida, that I don't know, but nationwide this is a growing trend in many states. My faculty was close to 100% "woke" and they were very outward about that, & I'm not reading into anything by stating that. Since, the few non-tenured folks have surprisingly not had their contracts renewed overtime.

Also, close to 30% of my tuition went towards DEI salary & budget. I'm not against DEI, but 30%? I think there needs to be some light casted on the schools taking advantage of these programs & inflating college tuition. Again, can't speak on the greater UF system as I never attended.

I went to a state HBCU. How would DEI be defined there?

[Tacachale]

I dunno man, I was at a state university not that long ago and a lot of the hysteria seemed obviously overplayed then. Unless you're trying to say that somehow this only actually became a problem between 2021 when I graduated and now, I don't think the evidence really backs what you're claiming. Some people are trans, that's not a big deal. It's their life, not mine. I know plenty and they seem a lot happier being themselves than trying to cover that up to satisfy someone else.

The idea of using state power in a desperate attempt to rewind culture to 15 years ago sounds patently absurd. And willing to burn our education system to the ground if it means you feel you've punished or pushed out people you don't agree with seems like a bad way to keep a place competitive long-term. It's not like it's proving more economical to pull these stunts either, look at how much more Richard Corcoran is being paid at New College over his predecessor, or Ben Sasse at UF compared to his predecessor. I don't see the value of ruining a perfectly fine thing for an ideological project against a minority of people when we have so many real, bigger problems in this state.

^This. The state's various social engineering efforts are absolutely hurting our university system in all sorts of ways, which had become one of our strongest points. It's much harder to recruit and keep good faculty and staff, and everyone I know from the Florida state university and college systems says it's only getting worse. And while the architects of these moves hoped there'd be some mass influx of right wing professors, it hasn't happened.

I know that trans kids are a huge boogeyman for right wingers, but they're a small minority of people. It's truly nuts how much the state is doing and how much money and effort they're wasting just to hurt such a small group of people.

The anti-diversity push is also just another boogeyman. I doubt there's any college in the world that has spent 30% of their money "toward DEI salary & budget". At UNF, last year we spent $3.5 million on all our diversity initiatives combined. Our total budget was $352 million. That's less that 1%. We had only 15 diversity-related positions out of 1,765 faculty and staff. Yes, really. Just a total waste for no gain.

What we'll lose is a lot more than that. UNF, Jacksonville and Florida are increasingly diverse, which was the real aim of our diversity initiatives -- making it so our diverse student body had the resources they needed to be successful in college. Most people don't have a problem with, for instance, financial aid, which has the same aim -- making college attainable for working and middle class students. Our LGBT Center was a real gem, the best in the state, and it made UNF a mecca for LGBTQ students. Now, LGBTQ students are increasingly fleeing Florida because the state government decided to use them to score political points.

Combine that with the state's assault on academic freedom at college, its actions on the grade school level with the book bans, attacks on teachers, etc., we're in a very bad place for education in the state of Florida. I have no doubt much of this insanity will be reversed in the future, but the damage will be done.

[jaxlongtimer]

I went to a university that is famous for being one of the most "liberal" in the U.S.  That said, I found the students inherently leaned that way.  I never saw professors or administrators heavily involved in "liberal" student causes.  They mostly had their hands full teaching, researching and trying to balance their budgets.  Overall, they just let students be students by offering minimal interference and a welcoming and open environment.

It is a natural part of "growing up" that each "new" generation wants to sow some wild oats before going into the real world.  Most young people in college aren't jaded yet, haven't lived much of life's experiences, aren't tethered to money, are away from family for their first time, have few responsibilities for others, still have some of that teenager rebellious streak in them, etc.  So, no surprise, they test the boundaries of thought, behavior and social norms being so unencumbered and free of "adult" supervision.  I know plenty of "conservatives" that were as wild and free as anyone in college and changed over time.  And, many idealistic college "liberals" may stick to their basic ideals but learn to work within the mainstream to advocate for their agendas.  It is all called "growing up."

So, my perspective is "wokeness" (whatever that is, exactly) is a natural occurrence on college campuses and, short of brainwashing, isn't going away with bringing in a "non-woke" faculty and curriculum.  Instead, many students will lean toward a campus environment that lets them express their new found individuality.  These may be the same students who are most curious, creative, passionate and dedicated to advancing our world after they graduate.  They aren't likely to come to a location that gets in their way of so being creating a brain drain.  Want to see what stifling free thinking does?  Check out Russia and China's brain drains.  Florida will have "good" company.

[Jax_Developer]

Also, close to 30% of my tuition went towards DEI salary & budget. I'm not against DEI, but 30%? I think there needs to be some light casted on the schools taking advantage of these programs & inflating college tuition.

Just curious, but what do you mean by DEI salaries?

Support departments for the school that advocate for DEI efforts. This group includes a lot of faculty members at my school that: a) Had no role in the classroom & b) Had no role in the administrative efforts of my college. We had assistants to assistants managers making $100k in departments like "office of equality." Clubs at my school with a DEI focus, had annual budgets that made some sports teams on campus question how that was even possible. All of this 'spending' data for my school, and I believe any other federally funded school, is all online.

100% depends where you went to school. Not going to elaborate but what simms described 100% for fact exists in many states. Maybe not in Florida, that I don't know, but nationwide this is a growing trend in many states. My faculty was close to 100% "woke" and they were very outward about that, & I'm not reading into anything by stating that. Since, the few non-tenured folks have surprisingly not had their contracts renewed overtime.

Also, close to 30% of my tuition went towards DEI salary & budget. I'm not against DEI, but 30%? I think there needs to be some light casted on the schools taking advantage of these programs & inflating college tuition. Again, can't speak on the greater UF system as I never attended.

I went to a state HBCU. How would DEI be defined there?

HBCU's are an entirely different animal. I went to a PWI, and the DEI focus there didn't result in the diverse environment they were trying to achieve. My point in my statement is that there are colleges out there simply inflating the cost of college at the expense of the tax & tuition payer. The environment in which simms describes is "real" even if it exists outside of Florida.

I dunno man, I was at a state university not that long ago and a lot of the hysteria seemed obviously overplayed then. Unless you're trying to say that somehow this only actually became a problem between 2021 when I graduated and now, I don't think the evidence really backs what you're claiming. Some people are trans, that's not a big deal. It's their life, not mine. I know plenty and they seem a lot happier being themselves than trying to cover that up to satisfy someone else.

The idea of using state power in a desperate attempt to rewind culture to 15 years ago sounds patently absurd. And willing to burn our education system to the ground if it means you feel you've punished or pushed out people you don't agree with seems like a bad way to keep a place competitive long-term. It's not like it's proving more economical to pull these stunts either, look at how much more Richard Corcoran is being paid at New College over his predecessor, or Ben Sasse at UF compared to his predecessor. I don't see the value of ruining a perfectly fine thing for an ideological project against a minority of people when we have so many real, bigger problems in this state.

^This. The state's various social engineering efforts are absolutely hurting our university system in all sorts of ways, which had become one of our strongest points. It's much harder to recruit and keep good faculty and staff, and everyone I know from the Florida state university and college systems says it's only getting worse. And while the architects of these moves hoped there'd be some mass influx of right wing professors, it hasn't happened.

I know that trans kids are a huge boogeyman for right wingers, but they're a small minority of people. It's truly nuts how much the state is doing and how much money and effort they're wasting just to hurt such a small group of people.

The anti-diversity push is also just another boogeyman. I doubt there's any college in the world that has spent 30% of their money "toward DEI salary & budget". At UNF, last year we spent $3.5 million on all our diversity initiatives combined. Our total budget was $352 million. That's less that 1%. We had only 15 diversity-related positions out of 1,765 faculty and staff. Yes, really. Just a total waste for no gain.

What we'll lose is a lot more than that. UNF, Jacksonville and Florida are increasingly diverse, which was the real aim of our diversity initiatives -- making it so our diverse student body had the resources they needed to be successful in college. Most people don't have a problem with, for instance, financial aid, which has the same aim -- making college attainable for working and middle class students. Our LGBT Center was a real gem, the best in the state, and it made UNF a mecca for LGBTQ students. Now, LGBTQ students are increasingly fleeing Florida because the state government decided to use them to score political points.

Combine that with the state's assault on academic freedom at college, its actions on the grade school level with the book bans, attacks on teachers, etc., we're in a very bad place for education in the state of Florida. I have no doubt much of this insanity will be reversed in the future, but the damage will be done.

This is the most "I have lived in Florida my whole life" response I have ever read. Lol. Almost nobody is going to UNF in Jacksonville, FL for LGBTQ services. People goto schools like mine where the support for them is actually world-class. We had a clinic on school with LGBTQ services. You won't find a state school providing anywhere near what a PWI could provide.