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Revision as of 14:45, 4 December 2003
The University of Florida ("UF") is an institution of higher learning located in Gainesville, Florida. It was founded in Ocala, Florida in 1853, and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2003. Today, it is the fourth-largest university in the United States, with over 45,000 students; it also has the eighth-largest budget, nearly $1.9 billion a year.
Its current president is Charles Young, who will be replaced by James Bernard Machen on January 5, 2004.
Academics
UF is divided into twenty-one colleges, which offer over 100 undergraduate majors and an equally wide array of graduate degrees, including the only dentistry and veterinary medicine programs in the state.
Florida's programs are generally ranked highly among public universities, although very few are truly competitive on a national level. The graduate programs in chemistry and tax law, however, are consistently ranked among the best in the United States. UF's engineering programs are very well-funded, partly from royalties on the sale of Gatorade (a UF invention).
The acceptance rate at UF has slowly fallen over the past decade as more students apply. In 2003, the average incoming freshman had a weighted GPA of 4.0, and an SAT score of 1280. Undergraduate tuition is around $100 per credit for Florida residents, and $460 per credit for out-of-state students, with a typical load of 30 credits per year.
Athletics
The school's sports teams are called the Gators. They participate in the Southeastern Conference of the NCAA's Division I-A. Florida has one of the strongest collegiate athletic programs in the United States, and dedicates $44 million each year to its sports teams and facilities.
Football is the most important sport at UF, and the school's football team is typically ranked among the top 25 in the NCAA. Their most recent national championship was at the Sugar Bowl in 1996, under coach Steve Spurrier and quarterback Danny Wuerffel. The Gators under Spurrier were a national powerhouse, and have fallen in the rankings ever since his departure in 2001. Their traditional rivals are the Seminoles of Florida State University, and (to a lesser extent) the Hurricanes of the University of Miami: UF usually plays Miami in September and FSU in late November.
Basketball is also popular at UF, although it is not nearly as popular as football.
Alumni
Famous UF alumni include:
- John Atanasoff, computer engineer
- Faye Dunaway, actress
- Bob Graham, governor, senator, and presidential candidate
- Carl Hiaasen, writer
- Joseph Kittinger, pilot
- Forrest Sawyer, TV personality
- Joe Scarborough, congressman and talk show host
- Steve Spurrier, football player and coach
- Emmitt Smith, football player
- Bob Vila, DIY show host