History of the University of Florida
As it is the oldest of the modern University of Florida's predecessor institutions, the school traces its founding date to that year.
[2] The East Florida Seminary closed its Ocala campus at the outbreak of the American Civil War and reopened in Gainesville in 1866.
[3] At the same time, the legislature created the Florida Female College and the State Normal School for Colored Students, both in Tallahassee.
[5] In 1823, the Territorial Legislature and the United States Congress began to plan a system of higher education for Florida.
[7] On January 6, 1853, Florida governor Thomas Brown signed the legislation that provided public support for the seminaries.
[9] James Henry Roper, an educator from North Carolina and a Florida State Senator from Alachua County, established Gainesville Academy in 1858.
The Academy's facilities were still vacant after the Civil War, so Roper offered the property to the state as a new home for the East Florida Seminary.
"[11] The old West Florida Seminary became the new university's Literary College and contained several "schools" or departments, though its "separate Charter and special organization" was maintained.
Newspapers and leading citizens of the nearby towns extolled the virtues of their community in the media, and in July 1905, both sent delegations to the meetings of the state Board of Control where the placement of the school would be decided.
Lake City offered the use of the campus of Florida Agricultural College plus additional acres of adjacent land, while Gainesville's proposal included over 500 acres of land west of the town, the extension of Alachua Road (now West University Avenue) to the site, and water service to the university "without charge in perpetuity".
[15] On July 6, 1905, the Board of Control voted 6 to 4 to establish the new University of the State of Florida in Gainesville, much to the disappointment and anger of the citizens of Lake City.
However, Sledd drew increasing criticism from members of the Florida legislature and Board of Education for setting high admissions standards which they felt limited the university's growth potential.
On the other hand, members of the university's Board of Control defended Sledd and insisted that the new school should not compromise its academic standards to artificially raise enrollment.
On the academic side, the school awarded its first doctoral degrees, was granted a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, established the new University College, and placed new emphasis on liberal arts general education requirements during Tigert's presidency..
When the United States entered World War II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, most students withdrew to enlist in the U.S military.
To survive the financial stresses of the war years, the university offered its campus, classrooms and dormitories to the U.S. Government for the training of aircrews for the U.S. Army Air Force.
Rapid expansion of the university's campus structures and student population began in the 1950s under presidents J. Hillis Miller, Sr. and J. Wayne Reitz.
In 2009, President Bernie Machen and the University of Florida Board of Trustees announced the future reduction of the number of undergraduates, and an increase of resources for graduate education and research.
In 2001, Florida was labeled a Public Ivy, and, in 2010, was ranked second in Kiplinger's "Best Buys of Education," behind the University of North Carolina).
[28][29] Months earlier, the white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia resulted in the death of counter-protester Heather Heyer.
In response to the threat of violence from alt-right agitators, Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in Alachua County.
[29] The University would foot the majority of the bill for enhanced security leading up to the October 19 speaking event, including dispatch of over 500 policemen across campus.
[30] Gainesville residents and University of Florida students alike organized protests against Spencer's visit to campus under the banner of the "No Nazis At UF" collective.
[33] Protestors inside the performance venue successfully drowned out Spencer's speech, forcing him to end his appearance 25 minutes earlier than scheduled.
[33] In the immediate aftermath of Spencer's appearance, three of his sympathizers were arrested on felony charges after opening gun fire on protestors as they were leaving the event.
