The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public university located in Jacksonville, in the U.S. state of Florida. A member institution of the State University System of Florida, the university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master’s and doctorate degrees to its students. Located amid a natural preserve in the largest city in terms of land area in the continental United States, the university was established in 1969. Its first president was Thomas G. Carpenter. Initially designated an upper division college for juniors and seniors, UNF eventually began admitting freshmen in 1984. The current president is former Jacksonville mayor John Delaney.
The university currently has an enrollment of more than 16,000 students, and employs over 500 full-time faculty. UNF is organized into five colleges which offer 53 undergraduate degree programs and 28 graduate-degree programs, with noted business, coastal biology, nursing, nutrition, and music programs. Although the majority of students reside off-campus, there are currently six areas of on-campus housing, including the five-story Osprey Fountains which opened in 2009. In Fall 2006, the Social Sciences building became the first facility to be LEED-certified in Northeast Florida, as well as the first "green" building on campus. As of 2010, there are five buildings on campus that have been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
UNF has over 140 clubs and organizations for students, as well as an active Student Government and Greek life. The student-run newspaper—The Spinnaker—is published weekly. UNF began intercollegiate sports in 1983 as a member of the NAIA, later moving to NCAA Division II. The university is currently a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, and its NCAA Division I athletic teams are known as the North Florida Ospreys. Beginning in 2007, The Princeton Review has named UNF one of the best colleges in the Southeast for four consecutive years, and has been named one of "America's Best Colleges" by Forbes Magazine.
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