University of North Florida facts for kids

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University of North Florida

Motto	"No one like you. No place like this."
Type	Public research university
Established	1965; 60 years ago (1965)
Parent institution	State University System of Florida
Accreditation	SACS
Academic affiliations	CUMU Space-grant
Endowment	$141 million (2023)
President	Moez Limayem
Academic staff	679
Students	17,043
Undergraduates	14,662
Postgraduates	2,381
Location	Jacksonville , Florida , United States
Campus	Large city, 1,300 acres (5.3 km²)
Other campuses	Palm Coast
Newspaper	The Spinnaker
Colors	Blue and gray
Nickname	Ospreys
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – ASUN CCSA
Mascot	Ozzie Osprey

The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public university in Jacksonville, Florida. It is a place where students can study and do research. UNF is part of Florida's state university system. It is approved to give out bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees.

The campus is huge, covering 1,300 acres. It's located within a natural preserve in Jacksonville. UNF is known for its research activities. The current president of the university is Moez Limayem.

UNF started in 1965 and welcomed its first students in 1972. At first, only junior and senior college students could attend. But in 1984, freshmen were also allowed to join. UNF has six main colleges. Five of these colleges offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Some of their well-known programs are in business, coastal biology, nursing, nutrition, and music. Most students live off campus, but there are also six places to live on campus.

The university has over 200 clubs and groups for students. There's also a student government and Greek life. The student newspaper, The Spinnaker, is published every month. UNF's sports teams are called the Ospreys. They compete in NCAA Division I as part of the ASUN Conference.

History of UNF

The University of North Florida was created in 1969. About 1,000 acres of land were set aside for the campus. The Skinner family of Jacksonville donated 500 of these acres. Before UNF, the only public college in Jacksonville was Florida Junior College.

Building classrooms and other facilities began in 1971. UNF opened its doors in the fall of 1972. It started with 2,027 junior, senior, and graduate students. There were 117 teachers and over 150 staff members. UNF was first set up as a "senior" college. This meant it only accepted upper-level and graduate students.

UNF had its first graduating class of 35 students in 1973. The school grew quickly and was approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1974. In 1979, the school chose the osprey as its mascot. The male and female mascots are named Ozzie and Harriet.

In 1980, there was an idea to combine UNF with the University of Florida. But the governor at the time, Bob Graham, stopped this plan. In 1984, UNF started letting freshmen and sophomores join for the first time. By 1995, over 10,000 students were enrolled at UNF. In 2000, more than 1,000 students graduated in one ceremony.

The 2000s brought many new buildings to the campus. These included the Social Science building, the Science and Engineering building, and the John A. Delaney Student Union. In 2003, John Delaney, a former mayor of Jacksonville, became the university's president. In 2009, UNF's sports programs officially became part of NCAA Division I.

UNF Presidents Over Time

**UNF Leaders**
Thomas G. Carpenter	1969–1980
Andrew Robinson (interim)	1980–1982
Curtis L. McCray	1982–1988
Roy E. McTarnaghan (interim)	1988–1989
Adam W. Herbert	1989–1998
E. K. Fretwell (interim)	1998–1999
Anne H. Hopkins	1999–2002
A. David Kline (interim)	2002–2003
John A. Delaney	2003–2018
David Szymanski	2018–2021
Pamela S. Chally (interim)	2021–2022
Moez Limayem	2022-Present

UNF Campus Life

Social Sciences Building

UNF's campus is located near major highways in Jacksonville. The university has 28 main buildings and six places for students to live. Many buildings are named after people who helped the university a lot. For example, the library is named after UNF's first president, Thomas G. Carpenter. "The Green" is a large grassy area in the middle of campus where students like to relax.

The Social Sciences building, opened in 2006, was the first building in Northeast Florida to be "green certified." This means it was built using environmentally friendly methods. The campus also has a protected wildlife area. It features miles of nature trails and many lakes and ponds.

The campus has grown to 1,300 acres. In 2007, the university started a shuttle service. This helps students get around campus, including to the dorms, parking lots, and the library. New buildings like a Biological Sciences building and a Student Wellness Center opened in 2012. A new dining hall also opened that year. All these new buildings are designed to be environmentally friendly.

Thomas G. Carpenter Library

The Thomas G. Carpenter Library is named after UNF's first president. It is also known as building 12. Construction on the library began in 1978 and finished in 1980.

In 2004, the library started a big expansion. A four-story addition was built, adding 79,000 square feet. This made the library much larger, increasing its size to 199,000 square feet. It also increased the number of students it could hold from 800 to 2,000. The new part of the library opened in December 2005.

The library has many computers for public use. It also has study rooms for groups and quiet study areas. Students can find over 840,000 books and many electronic resources. Free wireless internet is available throughout the building. Students can even check out laptops.

John A. Delaney Student Union

John A. Delaney Student Union

The John A. Delaney Student Union opened in 2009. It's a central hub for students. Inside, you'll find a two-story bookstore, restaurants, a game room, and an auditorium. It also has an art gallery, a ballroom, and a bank.

The Student Union is home to UNF's Student Government. It also houses The Spinnaker newspaper, Spinnaker Television, and Spinnaker Radio. Other student groups like the LGBT Resource Center are also located here. The Student Union has two buildings connected by a covered walkway called "Osprey Plaza." This building cost $50 million to build. It is also a "green certified" building, meaning it's environmentally friendly.

Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville

In 2009, UNF took over the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. This museum is a great cultural resource for the university. UNF helps improve how the museum runs and how it is promoted. The plan is to offer art classes and student art shows there. This partnership helps both the museum and UNF's art programs. It also strengthens UNF's connection with the city.

UNF Arena

The UNF Arena is a large building on campus. It's where the North Florida Ospreys men's and women's basketball teams play. The women's volleyball team also plays here. The arena is used for other events too, like concerts and graduation ceremonies. It even hosted the Orlando Magic's training camp once.

The arena opened in 1993 and can hold up to 6,300 people. In 2015, a record 6,155 fans watched the North Florida men's basketball team win a big game there.

Academics at UNF

Admissions and Tuition

UNF accepts about 72% of students who apply. Students who get in usually score between 530 and 640 on the Reading part of the SAT. For the Math part, scores are typically between 530 and 620. For the ACT, accepted students usually score between 20 and 25. The average high school GPA for new students is 3.91.

For students from Florida, tuition and fees are about $212.98 per credit hour. For students from other states, it's about $693.11 per credit hour. In one school year, UNF gave over $60 million in scholarships and grants to students. This helps many students pay for college.

Colleges at UNF

Coggin College of Business

Brooks College of Health

College of Education

UNF has six main colleges. Five of them offer different types of degrees. The sixth is an honors college for top students. In the 2019–2020 school year, UNF gave out over 3,400 bachelor's degrees. They also awarded 670 master's degrees and 165 doctoral degrees.

College of Arts and Sciences: This is the largest college at UNF with over 6,500 students. It includes subjects like art, biology, chemistry, communications, history, music, psychology, and many languages.
Coggin College of Business: This is one of UNF's original colleges. It offers business programs that are highly respected. About 3,079 students study here.
College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction: This college has schools for computing and engineering. It also has a department for construction management. It has 2,033 students.
College of Education and Human Services: This college offers degrees in education and human services. It also has a program for sport management. About 1,559 students are enrolled here.
Brooks College of Health: This college focuses on health-related studies. It has 3,130 students.
Hicks Honors College: This special program offers unique learning chances for students. Classes are small and focus on hands-on learning.

Special Programs at UNF

Fine Arts Center and the Green

The UNF School of Music is famous for its jazz studies program. Many well-known jazz musicians have taught or performed here. The UNF Jazz Ensemble 1 is known around the world. They have performed at big festivals and even toured China. They have been named the top college jazz band in the nation twice! Students in this program get to perform with famous artists like Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis.

The Coggin College of Business is also highly rated. It was named one of the "Best Business Schools" by the Princeton Review. Two of its best programs are transportation and logistics, and international business. The transportation and logistics program was ranked 13th in the country.

Other special programs include coastal biology from the College of Arts and Sciences. Community nursing is a top program from the Brooks College of Health.

Student Life at UNF

Activities and Clubs

Osprey Plaza at the Student Union at night

UNF's Student Government manages a large budget from student fees. This money helps fund many services for students. These include over 200 clubs, a food pantry, and the Student Union. They also support intramural sports and entertainment events.

UNF has 32 Greek-letter organizations (fraternities and sororities). Students can join many different clubs and groups. There are also club sports like rugby, lacrosse, and ice hockey. Students can play intramural sports like soccer and sand volleyball. The UNF Alumni Association has a group called the Presidential Envoys. These students act as ambassadors for the university.

Osprey Life and Productions is UNF's entertainment group. They put on free events for students. These include concerts, comedy shows, movies, and game nights.

The UNF Eco-Adventure Program lets students explore the campus's nature trails and lakes. Students can canoe, kayak, and fish (catch-and-release) in the lakes. They can also borrow outdoor equipment for free.

Student Housing

Osprey Village

The University of North Florida has seven places for students to live on campus. These are Osprey Cove, Osprey Crossings, Osprey Hall, Osprey Landing, Osprey Village, Osprey Fountains, and The Flats at UNF.

Cove, Crossings, and Landing offer suite-style rooms. Hall has more traditional dorm rooms. Village and The Flats offer apartment-style living. Cove, Crossings, Hall, and Landing are mainly for freshmen. Village, Fountains, and The Flats are for upperclassmen.

Osprey Fountains is a large, five-story building that houses 1,000 students. It has private rooms for each student. The building includes a convenience store, a grill, kitchens, and a swimming pool. It also has a "lazy river" for relaxing. Other cool features include a study room called The Morgue and a game room called The Galaxy. Most UNF students, however, choose to live off campus.

Dining Options

UNF has ten dining places on campus, plus three convenience stores called "Outtakes." The "Osprey Cafe" is the main buffet-style restaurant. It's popular with students who have meal plans. Other food choices on campus include Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, and Jamba Juice. The Student Union has a food court with options like Einstein Bros. Bagels and Panda Express.

The Boathouse is a restaurant overlooking a lake. It offers food, drinks, and often has live music. The Boathouse has been a UNF tradition since 1973.

Media at UNF

The Spinnaker is the student-run newspaper published every week. Spinnaker Television is UNF's student-run TV channel. It shows movies, sports, and campus events. Spinnaker Radio broadcasts music on 95.5 FM and online. The UNF Journal is for university alumni. Inside is an online newsletter for teachers and staff.

The university also publishes a literary journal called Fiction Fix. It features works by authors from UNF and around the world.

Iconic Osprey Statue outside of UNF Arena

UNF Sports

Men's basketball at UNF Arena

The University of North Florida's sports teams are called the North Florida Ospreys. They compete in NCAA Division I, which is the highest level of college sports. UNF started its sports programs in 1983.

UNF competes in 17 different sports. The Ospreys have won four national titles. The men's golf team won in 1991 and 1993. The women's tennis team won in 1986 and 1994. In 2008, the men's golf team won UNF's first Division I conference title.

In 2015, the men's basketball team made history. They won the Atlantic Sun tournament and got to play in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The championship game was played at UNF Arena. A record 6,155 fans watched the Ospreys win! This win brought a lot of attention to the team and the university.