The University of North Florida: A Brief History
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3076233966_3PDtSM2-M.jpg)
Sure, there are many people who know about UNF. But how many know anything beyond that? My guess is not many— including myself. With so much information actually out there I thought, “Why not compile it all into one, easily accessible story?” And as a student about to graduate from the University of North Florida, I didn’t want to leave here without learning about where I was coming from. So then... what exactly is the story behind UNF?
Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-feb-the-university-of-north-florida-a-brief-history
Although I think the UNF campus is quite attractive (more so everyday) and the adjacent Sawmill Slough is fantastic, it seems we really missed an opportunity when the decision was made to not locate at the Springfield or McCoys location. Though it would have cost more, probably would have been a very wise investment
I agree but that ship sailed a long time ago. I think the best we could see is maybe a pseudo-satellite campus downtown. They have the MOCA and nothing else, as far as I know.
Agreed. Both UNF & JU need a significant presence downtown (and leading roles in its revitalization).
I think of UNC-Charlotte as comparable to UNF, probably just a few years ahead. Their main campus is several miles outside of downtown Charlotte and has a similar suburban, spead out setup as UNF. They recently opened a downtown campus. Something like that for UNF would be cool.
http://centercity.uncc.edu/
UCF has also expanded into downtown Orlando:
(http://cem.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/cemImg.jpg)
http://cem.ucf.edu/
One can only imagine what the urban core would resemble today if the Springfield site were chosen for UNF's main campus. However, as others have said, that ship has sailed. Nevertheless, we do have the campuses of EWC and FSCJ in and near downtown....both of which we fail to properly utilize.
Good points about EWC and FSCJ. EWC in particular, since it is more of a residential campus than FSCJ.
FSCJ is the college downtown. Which, like UNF, started as a 2 year college and now offers four year degree programs.
Quote from: Overstreet on February 19, 2014, 09:04:55 AM
FSCJ is the college downtown. Which, like UNF, started as a 2 year college and now offers four year degree programs.
UNF is part of the State University System of Florida. FSCJ is part of the Florida College System. Basically they do not operate on level playing fields. The State University System schools get more funding, do significantly more research, attract much high caliber students, and generally operate at much higher levels than those in the Florida College System. FSCJ has its role in our local ecosystem/economy, but Jax can't (and shouldn't) rely on it as a major driver of economic development or downtown redevelopment. Heck, they don't even have dorms.
Quote from: CityLife on February 19, 2014, 09:31:27 AM
... Jax can't (and shouldn't) rely on it as a major driver of economic development or downtown redevelopment...
Why not? It's already there. It's much easier to make use of resources you already have rather than spin your wheels trying to bring in something new.
Quote from: finehoe on February 19, 2014, 10:47:42 AM
Quote from: CityLife on February 19, 2014, 09:31:27 AM
... Jax can't (and shouldn't) rely on it as a major driver of economic development or downtown redevelopment...
Why not? It's already there. It's much easier to make use of resources you already have rather than spin your wheels trying to bring in something new.
Rely and take advantage of are two totally different things. FSCJ is a major downtown destination we've failed to take advantage of. State & Union, Klutho Park/Hogans Creek could easily be so much more by better integrating FSCJ with it's surroundings, enabling the surrounding areas to economically benefit from the traffic the campus already generates.
Yea that is essentially what I meant. FSCJ can be a benefit to downtown, particularly State and Union and Springfield as Lake pointed out.
I was speaking more about corporate relocations, large scale development, research and development, big picture stuff, etc. FSCJ has a very small endowment of $32 million, is poorly funded by the state (even less than our already poorly funded universities), generates no research dollars, and there are minimal (if any) Public Educational Capital Outlay (PECO) funds for new construction projects from the state these days. Basically if FSCJ is to make any big moves it will have to come from fundraising and corporate donations, and frankly it would be foolish for anyone (or any company) to make a major donation to FSCJ over a more prestigious institution that could make the money go further and accomplish more with it.
FSCJ can be a benefit to the city and to downtown, but as an institution it is limited in what it can accomplish.
Understood. Luckily for Jax, UNF doesn't have to be downtown to continue to grow and expand to the point where it can influence corporate relocations, large scale development, research, etc.
UNF will never be of the magnitude to influence corporate relocation. UNF should really put its focus on graduating undergraduates since it is God awful at that. 21% of students graduate in 4 years from UNF. Jacksonville should attempt to convince the University of Florida and its 700 million dollar research funding (more than the rest of Florida's universities combined) to continue to have more of a presence in our city and urban core. Imagine if UF poured more money into a pharmacy and nursing program in Jax along with the Medical Residency program and expanded its campus into downtown where FSCJ is? Maybe share facilities? What about tapping into the law and MBA programs at UF which are top tier and working more to bring them to Jacksonville? UF poured 50 million into their new research facility in Orlando's Medical City. Sanford-Burnham said they would only relocate there if UF were involved. Imagine if Jax could get the same investment?
You'll get no argument from me about trying to expand UF's presence in our region.
My father was the mechanical construction superintendant on the initial building phase of the college and was brought in as a consultant quite a few time when new construction was planned. He used to take me to the job site on the weekends when he had so much to catch up on while I enjoyed all those pristine acres on my dirt bike. I graduated from there in the early eighties.
As someone who teaches here, I don't think the numbers are that clear. I get many students who takes classes here and there and seem to hang around forever. It is not the universities fault that some students take their time. They have hired well certified counselors to guide students. If a student is too unmotivated to talk to the help that is provided then it is the students fault. I see it all the time.
That is true. My situation was a little different. Having to pay my own way if I wanted a college education the number of classes I took each term was dependent on my financial situation. It took me a little longer but I was not going to put myself into years of debt. When I went to see the counseler to sign me off for graduation he asked me who I had met with to set up my course work for my desired program. I told him I had never met with anyone. He looked at my transcripts and said I still didn't need anyone, signed and said congratulations.
They are doing a lot now. They have an advisor in every Dept. We have one for Vis Arts and Music. It has helped a lot. I do have a lot of elderly students that never seem to graduate. They take classes as they please. UNF seems to be pushing more toward a traditional university in the last few years, so we will see what happens.
When I started, there were only 4 buildings, plus the original Boat House (the most important building on campus). By the time I graduated, just a couple years later (remember, just a senior college), there were several more - including two expansions of the library.
UNF did have a downtown presence during the 1980s, ironically in the building now housing MOCA, which is now a UNF presence. They offered several classes, mostly business related.
And, I guess this was just a perk for the first class - I would have appreciated receiving one:
QuoteThe graduating class consisted of thirty-five students, with twenty-eight receiving bachelorettes, most of them belonging to the College of Arts and Science, and the other seven receiving graduate degrees.
UNF Downtown Center
(http://www.unf.edu/uploadedImages/aa/library/specialcollections/archives/downtowncenter5full.jpg)
(http://www.unf.edu/uploadedImages/aa/library/specialcollections/archives/downtowncenter.jpg)
QuoteFrom 1978 to 1987, UNF operated a Downtown Center in the currently named MOCA building, at 333 North Laura Street, at the corner of Duval Street overlooking Hemming Park. This building was then called the Galleria, with retail shops on the first floor, including the legendary women's shoe store, La Rose Footwear. In opening the Center, the University hoped to make courses more accessible to inner city, Northside and Westside residents, and to major downtown businesses. At that time, there were no bus routes to UNF's main campus on the Southside, and transportation issues were a major consideration in opening the Center in the core of urban Jacksonville.
The fifth and top floor of the Galleria building, approx. 8,000 square feet, was remodeled by UNF to include eight classrooms, five office spaces, a student lounge, small library, and a reception and registration area. Classes opened in the Center on Sept. 25, 1978, with an enrollment in the first year of 1839 students. The Center offered a limited range of upper division and graduate courses drawn from Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and General University curricula.
For the first three years, enrollment continued to climb, and reached a peak in 1981 with 2247 students. After that, enrollments started to decline steadily, attributed to factors such as a sluggish economy with cutbacks in student aid, a decrease in the number and type of courses offered at the Center due to low enrollment, and the beginning of bus routes operating to the main Southside campus. Only 428 students were enrolled in 1987, and with the rising costs of maintaining the site, the Center in the Galleria Building closed in August 1987.
Full history of the UNF Downtown Center: http://www.unf.edu/library/specialcollections/archives/Buildings_-_Downtown_Center.aspx
What's does UNF stand for? University of North Florida or U'all Never Graduate?
Quote from: BoldBoyOfTheSouth on February 19, 2014, 09:26:46 PM
What's does UNF stand for? University of North Florida or U'all Never Graduate?
Graduate doesn't start with a "F"
One can only hope that within the coming decades that UNF will evolve into a major research university.
Great cities flourish via their great research universities and the intellectual stimuli of its faculty, student body and alumni.
We all know graduates from UNF, how many of them have intellectual curiosity and think outside of the box?
They really need to be intellectually challenged, however, it's most difficult when so few are up to the challenge.
With this said, UNF is still a small regional safety school at this point in its history, it can evolve into so much more only if its leadership and the good people of Jacksonville expect / demand more from them.
UNF - U Never Finish
Quote from: thelakelander on February 19, 2014, 05:32:52 PM
You'll get no argument from me about trying to expand UF's presence in our region.
Especially with UF Online taking off, Jax should be bending over backwards to do extern/internships in the city for UF students. Imagine if Jax entered into a serious partnership with UF to get students experience/internships in corporations such as FIS, Everbank, CSX, etc, and have them living and working in downtown and taking tests at FSCJ.
UNF can be a great asset to the city long term, but it will never be a research university. Not enough research dollars to go around. It would be a waste of state funding to build the infrastructure for it to be a serious research university. Likewise, businesses are looking for prestige over everything else when they relocate. That is why it is important to the state to solidify UF at top 10 public status (currently 17, 47 overall) and Jacksonville to cash in on the proximity of UF/bring more UF medical and other programs to Jax.
Research Spending:
UF - $700 million (only AAU member)
USF - $400 million
FSU - $200 million
UCF - $180 million
UNF - $30 million
Quote from: jcjohnpaint on February 19, 2014, 06:28:22 PM
As someone who teaches here, I don't think the numbers are that clear. I get many students who takes classes here and there and seem to hang around forever. It is not the universities fault that some students take their time. They have hired well certified counselors to guide students. If a student is too unmotivated to talk to the help that is provided then it is the students fault. I see it all the time.
Speaking from experience, there's also something to be said about having a different environment and educational style than the big schools that emphasize the statistics. Different people learn in different ways. If we can't come to understand that we'll continue to have an underwhelming college graduation rate in this state.
All sorts of things affect UNF's numbers. Though it's changing quickly UNF still has a lot of students who take fewer classes due to work. The 4-year graduation rate is complicated by the fact that over 10% of students transfer to a bigger school after finishing their lower levels. And the 5- and 6-year rate is actually around 40% and the total graduation rate is 48%- that's quite a difference. But at any rate, the graduation rate is probably the biggest problem the school still faces. Fortunately it seems that a lot of the major developments in recent years are paying off in that regard.
Quote from: BoldBoyOfTheSouth on February 19, 2014, 09:41:39 PM
One can only hope that within the coming decades that UNF will evolve into a major research university.
Great cities flourish via their great research universities and the intellectual stimuli of its faculty, student body and alumni.
We all know graduates from UNF, how many of them have intellectual curiosity and think outside of the box?
They really need to be intellectually challenged, however, it's most difficult when so few are up to the challenge.
With this said, UNF is still a small regional safety school at this point in its history, it can evolve into so much more only if its leadership and the good people of Jacksonville expect / demand more from them.
Research will likely to continue to increase, but UNF has no intention of ever being a large research university. To be honest, there's too much of that in the system and they're all competing for the same limited resources. UNF's master plan is to develop the things it really does well and the areas where it stands out.
Quote from: thelakelander on February 19, 2014, 08:21:25 PM
UNF Downtown Center
(http://www.unf.edu/uploadedImages/aa/library/specialcollections/archives/downtowncenter5full.jpg)
(http://www.unf.edu/uploadedImages/aa/library/specialcollections/archives/downtowncenter.jpg)
QuoteFrom 1978 to 1987, UNF operated a Downtown Center in the currently named MOCA building, at 333 North Laura Street, at the corner of Duval Street overlooking Hemming Park. This building was then called the Galleria, with retail shops on the first floor, including the legendary women's shoe store, La Rose Footwear. In opening the Center, the University hoped to make courses more accessible to inner city, Northside and Westside residents, and to major downtown businesses. At that time, there were no bus routes to UNF's main campus on the Southside, and transportation issues were a major consideration in opening the Center in the core of urban Jacksonville.
The fifth and top floor of the Galleria building, approx. 8,000 square feet, was remodeled by UNF to include eight classrooms, five office spaces, a student lounge, small library, and a reception and registration area. Classes opened in the Center on Sept. 25, 1978, with an enrollment in the first year of 1839 students. The Center offered a limited range of upper division and graduate courses drawn from Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and General University curricula.
For the first three years, enrollment continued to climb, and reached a peak in 1981 with 2247 students. After that, enrollments started to decline steadily, attributed to factors such as a sluggish economy with cutbacks in student aid, a decrease in the number and type of courses offered at the Center due to low enrollment, and the beginning of bus routes operating to the main Southside campus. Only 428 students were enrolled in 1987, and with the rising costs of maintaining the site, the Center in the Galleria Building closed in August 1987.
Full history of the UNF Downtown Center: http://www.unf.edu/library/specialcollections/archives/Buildings_-_Downtown_Center.aspx
I'm glad the old downtown center was brought up. It was started as something of a compromise for those who had wanted the school in an urban location. It's worth pointing out that in 1981, when 2247 were enrolled at the Downtown Center, UNF only had about 5000 students total. It only started to change at the point that classes at the main campus became easier to access than the ones downtown for the students of the day. And of course it's an interesting coincidence that UNF's now back in the same building years later with MOCA.
As for the discussion of another downtown branch, it's probably coming at some point, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. The focus has been much more on developing the main campus. MOCA was one of those serendipitous things that came along. Hopefully the relationship will continue to grow and more students will be interested in classes downtown.
UCF's downtown campus is just one of 12 branch campuses throughout central and eastern Florida; I don't foresee UNF ever going that direction. If anything, it will likely be something like the UNC Charlotte example, where they essentially moved some of their masters programs to the new facility to reach people with day jobs.
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on February 19, 2014, 10:09:11 PM
Research Spending:
UF - $700 million (only AAU member)
USF - $400 million
FSU - $200 million
UCF - $180 million
UNF - $30 million
Thanks for the stats...guess this negates your previous claim that UF's $700 million in research funding was more than all the other state universities combined.
Quote from: tufsu1 on February 20, 2014, 07:14:05 AM
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on February 19, 2014, 10:09:11 PM
Research Spending:
UF - $700 million (only AAU member)
USF - $400 million
FSU - $200 million
UCF - $180 million
UNF - $30 million
Thanks for the stats...guess this negates your previous claim that UF's $700 million in research funding was more than all the other state universities combined.
I also believe a substantial portion of that figure is from UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, which does mostly rural stuff that isn't really relevant to Jacksonville. UF also turned its back on Jacksonville by partnering to form the Florida High Tech Corridor in central Florida and by opening medical research facilities in Orlando. These are both pretty big blows to our region.
Of course I'm biased, but something more relevant for Jacksonville, would be partnering with FSU who does research in high performance materials, which could form a synergistic partnership with the military locally. FSU is also aiming to be one of the most military friendly schools in the country, so there is another potential tie in.
Quote from: BoldBoyOfTheSouth on February 19, 2014, 09:41:39 PM
One can only hope that within the coming decades that UNF will evolve into a major research university.
Great cities flourish via their great research universities and the intellectual stimuli of its faculty, student body and alumni.
We all know graduates from UNF, how many of them have intellectual curiosity and think outside of the box?
They really need to be intellectually challenged, however, it's most difficult when so few are up to the challenge.
With this said, UNF is still a small regional safety school at this point in its history, it can evolve into so much more only if its leadership and the good people of Jacksonville expect / demand more from them.
What would you consider relevant research? I know many professors at tier 1 schools that don't do much research at all. I know many professors at UNF (teaching centered institutions), including my self and most in my dept, that are involved in lots of international wide research. Every year our dept takes about 50 students to Brazil, London, and all cities in Italy to learn on site. I feel that most of my research is informed by my teaching. I can't speak for everyone, but if I had a school shooting money at me and telling me to (dodge most of my teaching responsibilities for my work), I don't think my scholarly investigation would move much past graduate school.
Quote from: Tacachale on February 19, 2014, 11:10:07 PM
Speaking from experience, there's also something to be said about having a different environment and educational style than the big schools that emphasize the statistics. Different people learn in different ways. If we can't come to understand that we'll continue to have an underwhelming college graduation rate in this state.
All sorts of things affect UNF's numbers. Though it's changing quickly UNF still has a lot of students who take fewer classes due to work. The 4-year graduation rate is complicated by the fact that over 10% of students transfer to a bigger school after finishing their lower levels. And the 5- and 6-year rate is actually around 40% and the total graduation rate is 48%- that's quite a difference. But at any rate, the graduation rate is probably the biggest problem the school still faces. Fortunately it seems that a lot of the major developments in recent years are paying off in that regard.
For comparison sake, UF and FSU's 6 year rates are around 90%, while the 6 year rate for all of the state's universities is 68%. Obviously that figure drops quite a bit when you take the state's flagship schools out. UNF has definitely made good strides, but still has a ways to go. I think you're right Taca that the ship has probably sailed for research. Focusing on the undergrad experience seems like a good niche to fill.
Quote from: jcjohnpaint on February 20, 2014, 08:32:07 AM
Quote from: BoldBoyOfTheSouth on February 19, 2014, 09:41:39 PM
One can only hope that within the coming decades that UNF will evolve into a major research university.
Great cities flourish via their great research universities and the intellectual stimuli of its faculty, student body and alumni.
We all know graduates from UNF, how many of them have intellectual curiosity and think outside of the box?
They really need to be intellectually challenged, however, it's most difficult when so few are up to the challenge.
With this said, UNF is still a small regional safety school at this point in its history, it can evolve into so much more only if its leadership and the good people of Jacksonville expect / demand more from them.
What would you consider relevant research? I know many professors at tier 1 schools that don't do much research at all. I know many professors at UNF (teaching centered institutions), including my self and most in my dept, that are involved in lots of international wide research. Every year our dept takes about 50 students to Brazil, London, and all cities in Italy to learn on site. I feel that most of my research is informed by my teaching. I can't speak for everyone, but if I had a school shooting money at me and telling me to (dodge most of my teaching responsibilities for my work), I don't think my scholarly investigation would move much past graduate school.
I've heard UNF described as a "comprehensive university", combining elements of research universities and teaching universities. The faculty are generally expected to spend more time teaching classes, maintaining office hours, and such than at a research university (and more time doing research than at a teaching university). Expanding research is great, but not at the expense of the teaching, which is UNF's real strength. Especially since there are already six schools in the system trying to distinguish themselves as research universities, plus Miami. The areas where we'll see the largest research growth at UNF will be in the Flagship programs, which are the things we do well and which by and large are things the other schools don't focus on.
Quote from: Tacachale on February 20, 2014, 09:28:18 AM
Quote from: jcjohnpaint on February 20, 2014, 08:32:07 AM
Quote from: BoldBoyOfTheSouth on February 19, 2014, 09:41:39 PM
One can only hope that within the coming decades that UNF will evolve into a major research university.
Great cities flourish via their great research universities and the intellectual stimuli of its faculty, student body and alumni.
We all know graduates from UNF, how many of them have intellectual curiosity and think outside of the box?
They really need to be intellectually challenged, however, it's most difficult when so few are up to the challenge.
With this said, UNF is still a small regional safety school at this point in its history, it can evolve into so much more only if its leadership and the good people of Jacksonville expect / demand more from them.
What would you consider relevant research? I know many professors at tier 1 schools that don't do much research at all. I know many professors at UNF (teaching centered institutions), including my self and most in my dept, that are involved in lots of international wide research. Every year our dept takes about 50 students to Brazil, London, and all cities in Italy to learn on site. I feel that most of my research is informed by my teaching. I can't speak for everyone, but if I had a school shooting money at me and telling me to (dodge most of my teaching responsibilities for my work), I don't think my scholarly investigation would move much past graduate school.
I've heard UNF described as a "comprehensive university", combining elements of research universities and teaching universities. The faculty are generally expected to spend more time teaching classes, maintaining office hours, and such than at a research university (and more time doing research than at a teaching university). Expanding research is great, but not at the expense of the teaching, which is UNF's real strength. Especially since there are already six schools in the system trying to distinguish themselves as research universities, plus Miami. The areas where we'll see the largest research growth at UNF will be in the Flagship programs, which are the things we do well and which by and large are things the other schools don't focus on.
Agreed! I enjoyed my undergraduate experience at UNF. Unlike my close knit friends who attended the larger state universities I was able to have a more personable collegiate experience from my professors and gained tremendous field experience. If I had remained in Tampa and attended USF I don't think I would have gained the experiences, and attention unless I was a STEM student. UNF is no longer the "regional" school, a-lot of my UNF friends relocated from South and Central Florida and I even have a cousin from Curacao attending the university. It is a true gem, the secret is already out ;)
Quote from: tufsu1 on February 20, 2014, 07:14:05 AM
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on February 19, 2014, 10:09:11 PM
Research Spending:
UF - $700 million (only AAU member)
USF - $400 million
FSU - $200 million
UCF - $180 million
UNF - $30 million
Thanks for the stats...guess this negates your previous claim that UF's $700 million in research funding was more than all the other state universities combined.
Thanks for being a smart ass. It more or less is. However, the point still remains.
Nonetheless, I think UF's growth into Medical City was necessary for the project to get off the ground. The state financed a significant portion of the funds as a result. If Jax would have thought bigger and pushed such ideas, that could have been here with Florida Blue, UF, Mayo Clinic, etc.
I also agree that UNF needs to focus on teaching, undergraduate studies, and high need post-graduate. Attracting students to Jacksonville is a huge plus to UNF.
QuoteThe 4-year graduation rate is complicated by the fact that over 10% of students transfer to a bigger school after finishing their lower levels.
How does that compare with UWF, FIU, FAU, UCF and USF?
Quote from: fieldafm on February 20, 2014, 11:55:40 AM
QuoteThe 4-year graduation rate is complicated by the fact that over 10% of students transfer to a bigger school after finishing their lower levels.
How does that compare with UWF, FIU, FAU, UCF and USF?
No clue about how many students they have transfer. Conceivably the numbers are similar; other than UCF the others have similar graduation rates overall.
Quote from: Tacachale on February 20, 2014, 12:43:40 PM
Quote from: fieldafm on February 20, 2014, 11:55:40 AM
QuoteThe 4-year graduation rate is complicated by the fact that over 10% of students transfer to a bigger school after finishing their lower levels.
How does that compare with UWF, FIU, FAU, UCF and USF?
No clue about how many students they have transfer. Conceivably the numbers are similar; other than UCF the others have similar graduation rates overall.
Here are the 6 year graduation rates:
http://www.floridacollegeaccess.org/2013/03/13/grad-rates-at-public-universities-in-florida-inch-higher/
I graduated from UNF ('97) when we had about 8,000 students total. I am amazed with its growth and have been back to the campus a few times just to look around. I always loved the mod architcture! Great school and superb instructors. Only bad...parking tickets galore back in the day! Yeah, yeah...another for the collection ;)