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University of Florida
- Location & Contact Information
- Address, Directions, & Map:
- Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Telephone Numbers: 352.392.3261
- Official Website: [1]
- Address, Directions, & Map:
- History & Memorable Moments
The institutional history dates back to 1851 when the legislature set about creating two seminaries, one west of the Suwanee River, and the other to the east. Some trace UF's history back to 1836 when the U.S. Congress authorized an establishment of a "University of Florida". [1]
In 1853, UF's official date of founding, Gilbert Kingsbury was the first man to take advantage of the legislation passed in 1851 and established the East Florida Seminary (EFS) in Ocala, FL. Before coming to Florida, Kingsbury taught at Thetford Academy in New Hampshire. This was the first state-supported institution of higher learning in Florida and set the foundation for the University of Florida. James Henry Roper, an educator from North Carolina and State Senator from Alachua County, built a school called the Gainesville Academy right around the same time period. In 1866 after EFS had closed due to the Civil War, Roper offered his land and school to the State of Florida in exchange for the relocation of East Florida Seminary to Gainesville, Fla. His offer was accepted and the current site of the University of Florida was in place. Epworth Hall was the main building of East Florida Seminary and still stands, in downtown Gainesville. It is not on the present campus of UF today. [1]
Another precursor to the University of Florida was the Florida Agricultural College established at Lake City in 1884 by Jordan Probst. FAC became the first land-grant college in the state. Florida Agriculture College became a powerful force in the state and changed its name to the University of Florida in 1902, a change that would be short lived. [1]
The 1905 Buckman Act consolidated the colleges of the state. The member of the Florida Legislature who wrote the act, Henry Holland Buckman, is the namesake of Buckman Hall, one of UF's earliest buildings. The Buckman Act provided for the creation of the State University of System of Florida and the Florida Board of Control to govern the affairs of the system. It also called for the merger of several institutions into the new University of the State of Florida. The institutions apart of this were the University of Florida at Lake City (formerly Florida Agricultural College), the East Florida Seminary in Gainesville, the St. Petersburg Normal and Industrial School at St. Petersburg and the South Florida Military College at Bartow. [1]
The act created this one university in the state, but also designated two colleges be formed. Florida Female College would serve as a Women's college and the State Normal School For Colored Students (now Florida A&M University, a historically black university) as a postsecondary institution for African-American students. [1]
On July 6, 1905, the state legislature selected Gainesville for a new university campus. Andrew Sledd from the University of Florida at Lake City became the first president, while architect William A. Edwards designed the first official campus buildings in the collegiate gothic style. Classes began on September 26, 1906 with 102 students. In 1909 the name of the school was shortened to the University of Florida. [1]
The alligator was chosen as the school mascot in 1911. The school colors, orange and blue, are thought to have come from both the Blue and White of the University of Florida at Lake City and the Orange and Black of East Florida Seminary at Gainesville. [1]
In 1909, Albert Murphree was appointed president of UF and attempted to organize the colleges of the university and increased the enrollment of the school substantially. He is the only man with a statue on the campus. President John J. Tigert took over in 1928 and established the grant-in-aid or athletic scholarship program in the early 1930's which is currently used by the NCAA. Tigert was disgusted with the under-the-table payments being made by schools to athletes and radically changed the NCAA with his scholarship plan. [1]
In 1946, there was an incredible increase in male students wanting to attend the University of Florida due to the formation of the GI Bill. Though UF attempted to accommodate the new demand, it simply could not. Faced with a waiting list of nearly 2,200 men, Tigert went to Governor Millard Caldwell for help. Therefore, the Tallahassee Branch of the University of Florida (TBUF) was opened up to serve men on the campus of Florida State College for Women. By the end of the 1946-1947 school year, 954 men were enrolled at TBUF which was governed by the University of Florida in Gainesville. The following semester, the state decided to create a new co-educational Florida State University and end the Tallahassee Branch of the University of Florida. This sequence of events also opened up UF to women undergraduate students for the first time as the University of Florida officially became co-educational. Admission of African-American students also began in 1958. Shands Hospital first opened in 1958 along with the medical school. Rapid campus expansion began in the 1950s and continues to the present day. [1]
In 1985 Florida became a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a higher-education organization composed of 62 public and private institutions in North America. UF is one of only 17 public, land-grant universities that belongs to the association. [1]
The University of Florida has continued to rise in the U.S. News and World Report rankings. In 2001, UF was labeled a Public Ivy and was 2nd in Kiplinger's 2006 Best Buys of Education behind the University of North Carolina. University of Florida is currently ranked the 49th overall best university (according to US News), however the state of Florida and UF alumni are actively making a concerted effort to become a Top-10 overall public. [1]
As of 2007 the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is currently undergoing a Five-Year Plan. Announced by Neil Sullivan, former dean of CLAS, on 1 September 2006, the plan calls for reduced funding for the departments of English; Germanic and Slavic Studies; Mathematics; Philosophy; and Religion, while increasing financial resources for the departments of Botany; Zoology; Chemistry; Criminology, Law, and Society; and Psychology; and in the Program in Biological Sciences. The plan has sparked a debate among graduate students and faculty, many of whom view the development and implementation of the plan as a potential breach of shared governance. [1]
- Overview, Photographs, & Video Links
Prospective Students
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Alumni
- Benefits of Joining Alumni Association
- Chapters
- Teachers (Where are they now?)
- Augar, Jen (May 2002 - June 2002)
- Chatterjee, Suman (December 2003 - Present)
- Cradlebaugh, Joseph (May 2000 - Present)
- Elborai Kora, Fahiem El Sayeed (December 2001 - Present)
- Gupta, M Sridhar (August 2004 - August 2006)
- Judge, Jasmeet (June 2001 - Present)
- Mcconnell, Dennis Brooks (September 1970 - Present)
- Rivero, Mauricio (September 2001 - Present)
- Rusty, Jane (January 1994 - June 2002)
- Vinson, Teraesa (August 2000 - Present)
- Alumni Directory
- Alumni Events
Visitors
- Hotels Nearby
- Restaurant Recommendations
- Places of Worship
- Sports Facility Access
Other Links
References
