63-585: The Florida Gymnasium (commonly known as the " Florida Gym " and formerly nicknamed " Alligator Alley ") is a historic building located on the campus of the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville . It opened in 1949 as a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena and served as the home court of the Florida Gators men's basketball team and other UF indoor sports programs for over thirty years, acquiring
126-676: A contributing property in the University of Florida Campus Historic District which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 20, 1989. University of Florida The University of Florida ( Florida or UF ) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida , United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida . The university traces its origins to 1853 and has operated continuously on its Gainesville campus since September 1906. After
189-646: A controversial doctor known for his support of DeSantis's COVID-19 policies and promotion of COVID misinformation. Hosseini is a major Republican Party donor and DeSantis adviser. The reports prompted investigations by the U.S. House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the UF Faculty Senate, and UF's accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC). Further reporting in November 2021 revealed that
252-485: A growth of over $ 500 million in annual research expenditures over the past decade. University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance The University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance is an academic college of the University of Florida . The College of Health and Human Performance was founded in 1946 and is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The college has four departments and four research centers. The college
315-793: A new "University of the State of Florida" for white men: the University of Florida at Lake City (formerly Florida Agricultural College), the East Florida Seminary in Gainesville, the St. Petersburg Normal and Industrial School in St. Petersburg , and the South Florida Military College in Bartow . The Buckman Act also created two other institutions segregated by race and gender: Florida Female College (later
378-581: A new brick gymnasium cost prohibitive. Instead, a wooden facility officially dubbed "Building R" but commonly referred to as the "New Gym" was built directly adjacent to the University Gym as a temporary home for the school's indoor sports teams. However, an ongoing lack of funds throughout the 1930s resulted in Gator basketball teams using the New Gym for over 20 years. Design work on a larger gymnasium
441-414: A series of minor renovations modernized the facilities of the re-named College of Health and Human Performance . The gym continued to be the site of class registration until the early 1990s, when an automated phone system and then online registration made in-person registration obsolete. The Florida Gym was no longer needed for student recreation after a modern fitness center was constructed directly behind
504-915: A significant share of the incoming class as well. New York and New Jersey are the biggest feeder states outside of Florida. The University of Florida is ranked second overall in the United States for the number of bachelor's degrees awarded to African-Americans, and third overall for Hispanics. The university ranks fifth in the number of doctoral degrees awarded to African-Americans, and second overall for Hispanics, and third in number of professional degrees awarded to African-Americans, and second overall for Hispanics. The university offers multiple graduate programs—including engineering, business, law and medicine—on one contiguous campus, and coordinates 123 master's degree programs and 76 doctoral degree programs in 87 schools and departments. In its 2021 edition, U.S. News & World Report (USN&WR) ranked
567-596: A small private college that had closed during the war. The second precursor to the University of Florida was Florida Agricultural College (FAC), the state's first land-grant college under the Morrill Act , established in Lake City in 1884. The Florida Legislature, looking to expand FAC's curriculum beyond agricultural and engineering offerings, changed the school's name to the "University of Florida" for
630-474: A widespread fear of reprisal if faculty promoted unpopular viewpoints and alleging that course titles on racial topics were edited, faculty were advised against criticizing Governor DeSantis or his policies, and medical researchers were compelled to destroy data related to the COVID pandemic. The 2022 annual ranking of U.S. News & World Report categorizes the University of Florida as "most selective." For
693-548: Is 97%, with 89% going on to graduate within six years. The Fall 2023 incoming freshman class had an average 1390 SAT score, and a 31 ACT score. 3% of these students were foreign nationals, while 49% were White Americans, 22% were Hispanic Americans, 14% were Asian Americans, and 6% were Black Americans. The University of Florida is a college-sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored 288 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. In
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#1732794308533756-664: Is also the seal of the state of Florida, which is on the state flag, though in blue rather than multiple colors. The University of Florida's intercollegiate sports teams, the Florida Gators , compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). As of 2021, University of Florida students and alumni have won 143 Olympic medals, including 69 gold medals . The modern University of Florida traces its origins to 1853, when
819-706: Is in the Reitz Student Union . Its mission is to assist students and alumni who are seeking career development, career experiences, and employment opportunities. These services involve on and off-campus job interviews, career planning, assistance in applying to graduate and professional schools, and internship and co-op placements. The Career Resource Center offers workshops, information sessions, career fairs, and advisement on future career options. Staff also counsel students and alumni regarding resumes and portfolios, interviewing tactics, cover letters, job strategies and other potential leads for finding employment in
882-399: Is the flagship university of the state and it has 16 different colleges. UF has more than 150 research centers, service centers, education centers, bureaus, and institutes offering more than 100 undergraduate majors and 200 graduate degrees. These colleges include: The University of Florida has an honors program ; during application to the University, students must apply separately to
945-495: Is the only University of Florida president honored with a statue on campus. The alligator became the school's informal mascot when a local vendor designed and sold school pennants imprinted with the animal, which is very common in lakes in and around Gainesville and throughout the state. The 'gator was a popular choice, and the university's sports teams had officially adopted the nickname by 1911. The school colors of orange and blue were also officially established in 1911, though
1008-672: The East Florida Seminary , the oldest of its four predecessor institutions, was founded in 1853 as the East Florida Seminary in Ocala, Florida . The seminary was Florida's first state-supported institution of higher learning and operated until 1861 with the outbreak of the American Civil War . In 1866, the East Florida Seminary reopened in Gainesville on the grounds of the Gainesville Academy,
1071-624: The Scottish Lowlands . In 1924, the Florida Legislature mandated women of a "mature age" (at least twenty-one years old) who had completed sixty semester hours from a "reputable educational institution" be allowed to enroll during regular semesters at the University of Florida in programs that were unavailable at Florida State College for Women. Before this, only the summer semester was coeducational, to accommodate women teachers who wanted to further their education during
1134-681: The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It is the third largest Florida university by student population and is the fifth largest single-campus university in the United States with 54,814 students enrolled in fall 2023. The University of Florida is home to 16 academic colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. It offers multiple graduate professional programs—including business administration , engineering , law , dentistry , medicine , pharmacy and veterinary medicine —on one contiguous campus and administers 123 master's degree programs and 76 doctoral degree programs in 87 schools and departments. The university's seal
1197-526: The University of South Florida , to be designated as a "preeminent university" by Florida senate bill 1076, enacted by the Florida legislature and signed into law by the governor in 2013. As a result, the preeminent universities receive additional funding to improve the academics and national reputation of higher education within the state of Florida. From its inception until 1958, only white students were allowed to attend. In 1958, George H. Starke became
1260-411: The financial aid offers from multiple universities. The university's single application deadline is November 1. For the 2018–19 academic year, tuition and fees were $ 6,381 for in-state undergraduate students, and $ 28,658 for out-of-state undergraduate students. Tuition for online courses is lower and for graduate courses is higher. The Lombardi Scholars Program, created in 2002 and named in honor of
1323-502: The "New Gym" was converted into a rehearsal space for the university's marching bands . The Florida Gymnasium was the second large indoor venue on campus after the University Auditorium and was the only space large enough to host the entire student body, which numbered about 10,000 when the facility was completed. Around the central arena, offices in the building housed the university's athletic administration along with
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#17327943085331386-562: The 1903–1904 academic year. This name was in use for two years. In 1905, the Florida Legislature passed the Buckman Act , which reorganized the state's publicly supported institutions of higher education. Under the act, Florida's six state-supported institutions were merged to form the State University System of Florida under the newly established Florida Board of Control . Four institutions were combined to create
1449-399: The 1905–1906 academic year. Former FAC president Andrew Sledd was chosen to be the first president of the University of the State of Florida. The University of the State of Florida's first semester in Gainesville began on September 26, 1906, with an enrollment of 102 students. Two buildings had been completed at the time: Buckman Hall , named after the primary author of the law that created
1512-609: The 1930s. Beginning in 1946, there was dramatically increased interest among male applicants who wanted to attend the University of Florida, mostly returning World War II veterans who could attend college under the GI Bill of Rights (Servicemen's Readjustment Act). Unable to immediately accommodate this increased demand, the Florida Board of Control opened the Tallahassee Branch of the University of Florida on
1575-552: The 2020–2021 academic year, 342 freshman students were National Merit Scholars . The university is need-blind for domestic applicants. In 2007, the University of Florida joined the University of Virginia , Harvard University , the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , and Princeton University in announcing the discontinuation of early decision admissions to foster economic diversity in their student bodies. These universities assert early decision admissions forces students to accept an offer of admission before evaluating
1638-452: The Board of Control over his insistence on rigorous admittance requirements, which his detractors claimed was unreasonably impeding school enrollment. Sledd resigned over these issues in 1909. Florida State College for Women president Albert Murphree was named UF's second president before the 1909–1910 academic year, which was also when the school's name was simplified from the "University of
1701-514: The Class of 2027 (enrolled fall 2023), Florida's acceptance rate was 24.0%. Of those accepted, 6,612 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 43.1%. However, these numbers vary dramatically when split up by in-state and out-of-state applicants, with an acceptance rate of 52.6% for applicants in-state and an acceptance rate of 14.3% for applicants out-of-state. Florida's freshman retention rate
1764-578: The College of Physical Education, Health and Athletics. The court at the Florida Gym also became the site of student class registration at the beginning of each semester. As a sports venue, the Florida Gym soon gained a nickname: Alligator Alley. It could be an intimidating place for opposing teams because the seating was very close to the court and, when full, the noise level was "deafening". However, it also had few amenities and no air conditioning, and
1827-1000: The Engineering School tied for 45th, the Levin College of Law tied for 31st, and the Nursing School tied for 24th in the 2020 rankings. Florida's graduate programs ranked for 2020 by USN&WR in the nation's top 50 were audiology tied for 26th, analytical chemistry 11th, clinical psychology tied for 31st, computer science tied for 49th, criminology 19th, health care management tied for 33rd, nursing-midwifery tied for 35th, occupational therapy tied for 17th, pharmacy tied for 9th, physical therapy tied for 10th, physician assistant tied for 21st, physics tied for 37th, psychology tied for 39th, public health tied for 37th, speech-language pathology tied for 28th, statistics tied for 40th, and veterinary medicine 9th. The 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities list assessed
1890-607: The Florida State College for Women and then Florida State University) for white women and the State Normal School for Colored Students (later Florida A&M) for African-American men and women, both in Tallahassee. The Buckman Act did not specify where the new University of the State of Florida would be located. The City of Gainesville, led by its mayor William Reuben Thomas , campaigned to be
1953-527: The Florida state legislature's creation of performance standards in 2013, the Florida Board of Governors designated the University of Florida as a "preeminent university". The University of Florida is one of three members of the Association of American Universities in Florida and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". The university is accredited by
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2016-624: The Honors Program and show significant academic achievement to be accepted. There are over 100 courses offered exclusively to students in this program. In 2023, 14,089 students applied for 1,778 available seats. The Honors Program also offers housing for freshman in the Honors Village Residential Complex. The program also offers special scholarships , internships , research, and study abroad opportunities. The University of Florida Career Resource Center
2079-471: The State of Florida" to the "University of Florida". Murphree oversaw a reorganization of the university that included the establishment of several colleges, beginning with colleges of law , engineering , and liberal arts and sciences by 1910. Murphree was also instrumental in the founding of the Florida Blue Key leadership society and in building total enrollment from under 200 to over 2000. He
2142-419: The United States population. A 2014 social mobility report conducted by The New York Times found that 48% of UF undergraduate students came from families with incomes above the 80th percentile (>$ 110,000), while 6% came from families in the bottom 20th percentiles (<$ 20,000). The same report also indicates that 30% of the student body came from families from the top 10% of households, and 3% came from
2205-476: The University Gym for practices and games, but since the building had been designed primarily for student recreation, there was little room for spectators. By the mid-1920s, the university had decided that it was not suitable for hosting intercollegiate sports programs and a larger gymnasium was needed. The university's funding declined with the onset of the Great Depression , making the construction of
2268-421: The University of Florida achieved a notable milestone by becoming the first university in the state of Florida to rank among the top ten best public universities according to U.S. News. In the 2024 fiscal year, the University of Florida received more than $ 1.26 billion in annual sponsored research expenditures. In 2017, University President Kent Fuchs unveiled a plan to recruit 500 new faculty members to elevate
2331-400: The University of Florida as 86th among global universities, based on overall research output and faculty awards. In 2017, Washington Monthly ranked the University of Florida 18th among national universities, with criteria based on research, community service, and social mobility. The lowest national ranking received by the university from a major publication comes from Forbes which ranked
2394-429: The University of Florida as tied for the fifth-best public university in the United States, and tied for 28th overall among all national universities, public and private. Many of the University of Florida's graduate schools have received top-50 national rankings from U.S. News & World Report with the school of education 25th, Florida's Hough School of Business 25th, Florida's Medical School (research) tied for 43rd,
2457-613: The campus of Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee . By the end of the 1946–47 school year, 954 men were enrolled at the Tallahassee Branch. The following semester, the Florida Legislature returned the Florida State College for Women to coeducational status and renamed it Florida State University . These events also opened up all of the colleges that comprise the University of Florida to female students. Florida Women's Hall of Fame member Maryly Van Leer became
2520-540: The corporate, academic and government sectors. The Princeton Review ranked the Career Resource Center as the best among 368 ranked universities in career and job placement services in 2010, and fourth overall in 2011. The university spent over $ 1.26 billion on research and development in 2024, ranking it within the nation's Top 25 public and private universities. In 2024, the University of Florida's research portfolio surpassed $ 1.26 billion, marking
2583-400: The court had to be shared by all UF indoor sports programs. Over the years it came to be seen as small and outdated; observers likened it to a "dismal and dreary old high school gym" rather than a major-college arena. By the early 1970s, Florida was the only school in the Southeastern Conference without a modern basketball facility, which hampered the recruiting of top players and held back
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2646-489: The first Black student. In 1985, the University of Florida was invited to join the Association of American Universities . During President Bernie Machen 's tenure and with the backing of the University of Florida Board of Trustees , a significant policy shift was announced in 2009 for the university. This shift involved reducing the number of undergraduate students and reallocating financial and academic resources toward graduate education and research initiatives. In 2017,
2709-481: The first woman to receive from the University of Florida a master's degree in engineering. African-American students were allowed to enroll starting in 1958. Shands Hospital opened in 1958 along with the University of Florida College of Medicine to join the established College of Pharmacy . Rapid campus expansion began in the 1950s and continues today. The University of Florida is one of three Florida public universities, along with Florida State University and
2772-504: The growth of its long-mediocre basketball program. The university initiated plans to build a large multi-purpose sports arena in the mid-1970s, and the O'Connell Center opened in December 1980 as the new home for all of UF's indoor athletic programs. The Florida Gymnasium was gradually adapted to other uses during the 1980s. The basketball court and adjoining areas were used for student recreation and occasional events and assemblies while
2835-516: The gym in 1990 and the much larger Southwest Recreation Center opened across campus in 1994. The gym underwent a major renovation and repurposing project in the mid-1990s that removed the last of the original bleachers and converting much of the interior space into modern classrooms, laboratories, offices, and meeting rooms. The basketball court remained at the center of the building and is still used for College of Health and Human Performance activities and small events. In 2008, Florida Gymnasium became
2898-489: The interior space into modern classrooms, laboratories, offices, and other educational facilities by the mid-1990s. The center of the gym still features a basketball court which is used for small assemblies and HHP classes and activities. The University of Florida's first indoor sports facility was the University Gymnasium , a narrow brick building that opened in 1919. The school's men's basketball team used
2961-424: The nickname of "Alligator Alley" during that time. The Stephen C. O'Connell Center replaced the Florida Gym as the university's main indoor facility for intercollegiate sports upon its opening in 1980. The old gym was gradually repurposed for use by the University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance (HHP) in the following years, with a series of renovations and rebuilding projects converting most of
3024-468: The reasons for the choice are unclear. The most likely rationale was that they are a combination of the colors of the university's two largest predecessor institutions, as the East Florida Seminary used orange and black while Florida Agricultural College used blue and white. The older schools' colors may have been an homage to early Scottish and Ulster-Scots Presbyterian settlers of north central Florida, whose ancestors were originally from Northern Ireland and
3087-510: The site of the new university, with its primary competitor being Lake City . After a brief but intense period of lobbying, the Board of Control selected Gainesville on July 6, 1905, and funds were allocated for the construction of a new campus on the western edge of the town. However, because the campus would take several months to build, the new school was housed on the campus of the now-defunct Florida Agricultural College in Lake City during
3150-411: The state would be "adverse to the university’s interests as a state of Florida institution," igniting controversy over alleged inappropriate political influence at the university, interference in academic freedom, and violation of the professors' First Amendment rights. Earlier in the year, the chairman of UF's Board of Trustees, Morteza Hosseini, reportedly pushed the university to hire Joseph Ladapo ,
3213-413: The summer break. Lassie Goodbread-Black from Lake City became the first woman to enroll at the University of Florida, in the College of Agriculture in 1925. Murphree died in 1928 and John J. Tigert was named UF's third president. Disgusted by the under-the-table payments being made by universities to athletes, Tigert established the grant-in-aid athletic scholarship program in the early 1930s, which
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#17327943085333276-538: The top 1%. In 2016, the university had 5,169 international students. According to the Annual Admissions Report conducted by UF in 2019, roughly 17% of the incoming freshman class was entering from outside of Florida. The majority of freshmen starting at the University of Florida come from urban backgrounds with the biggest demographic hailing from South Florida cities; the metropolitan areas of Tampa , Orlando , and Jacksonville historically form
3339-445: The university 68th in the nation in 2018. This ranking focuses mainly on net positive financial impact, in contrast to other rankings, and generally ranks liberal arts colleges above most research universities. University of Florida received the following rankings by The Princeton Review in its 2020 Best 380 Colleges Rankings: 13th for Best Value Colleges without Aid, 18th for Lots of Beer, and 42nd for Best Value Colleges. It also
3402-605: The university and community. Louise Courtelis established the Alec Courtelis Award in honor of husband, a successful businessman and former chairman of the Florida Board of Regents in 1996. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency , UF has "the largest Jewish student body in the US." It is estimated that 18% of UF undergraduate and graduate students identify as Jewish compared to around 2% of
3465-420: The university had prohibited at least five more professors from offering expertise in legal cases, including a professor of pediatric medicine who was not allowed to offer expert testimony in a case related to masking of children during the COVID pandemic, a measure supported by medical experts but opposed by Governor DeSantis. In response to the allegations, UF's administration appointed a task force to "review
3528-440: The university's conflict of interest policy and examine it for consistency and fidelity" and reversed its decision to bar professors from testifying, stating that they were permitted to testify pro bono on their own time. The recommendations of the task force were accepted by UF President Kent Fuchs in late November 2021. However, a December 2021 report from the UF Faculty Senate deepened the controversy, citing external pressure and
3591-480: The university's ninth president John V. Lombardi , is a merit scholarship for Florida students. The scholarship offers $ 2,700 a semester for eight to ten semesters. The J. Wayne Reitz Scholars Program, created in 1997 and named in honor of the university's fifth president J. Wayne Reitz , is a leadership and merit-based scholarship for Florida students. Its yearly $ 2,500 stipend may be renewed for up to three years. The Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars Program
3654-578: The university's ranking among the top five best public universities. The majority of these new hires are concentrated in STEM fields. In 2018, 230 faculty members were hired, with the remaining 270 faculty positions expected to be filled by the fall of 2019. In October 2021, three professors filed a federal lawsuit against UF, claiming they were barred from testifying in a voting rights lawsuit against Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee and Governor Ron DeSantis . The university claimed that testifying against
3717-505: The university, and Thomas Hall , named after the mayor of Gainesville who had led the successful effort to bring the school to town. Both structures were designed by William A. Edwards , who designed many of the university's original buildings in the Collegiate Gothic style in his role as lead architect for Florida's Board of Control. During his term, first university president Andrew Sledd often clashed with key members of
3780-616: Was created in 2005. This is a full grant and scholarship financial aid package designed to help new, low-income UF students that are the first to attend college in their families. Every year, 300 scholarships are awarded to incoming freshmen with an average family income of $ 18,408. The Alec Courtelis Award is given annually at the International Student Academics Awards Ceremony. The award is given to international students, in recognition of their academic excellence and outstanding contribution to
3843-458: Was named the number one vegan-friendly school for 2014, according to a survey conducted by PETA . On Forbes' 2016 list of Best Value Public Colleges, UF was ranked second. It was also ranked third on Forbes' Overall Best Value Colleges Nationwide. The University of Florida is ranked among The Best Colleges in America in 2022 and positioned #8 on Money.com ’s list. The University of Florida
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#17327943085333906-546: Was started in the early 1940s by university architect Rudolph Weaver , but the project was postponed during World War II . Plans were completed by Guy Fulton soon after the war, construction began in 1947, and the Florida Gymnasium finally opened in 1949 at total project cost of $ 1.6 million. The university became co-educational about the same time, and the old University Gymnasium became the Women's Gymnasium while
3969-621: Was the genesis of the modern athletic scholarship plan used by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Inventor and educator Blake R. Van Leer was hired as Dean to launch new engineering departments and scholarships. Van Leer also managed all applications for federal funding, chaired the Advanced Planning Committee per Tigert's request. These efforts included consulting for the Florida Emergency Relief Administration throughout
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