page_title: University of West Florida
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: University of West Florida / History
caption_attribution_description: English: UWF environment
context_page_description: The University of West Florida is a public university in Pensacola, Florida. Established in 1963 as a member institution of the State University System of Florida, the University of West Florida is a comprehensive research university without faculties of law or medicine, a space-grant institution, and the third largest campus in the State University System, at 1,600 acres. The main campus is a natural preserve that is bordered by two rivers and Escambia Bay. The university's mascot is an argonaut and its logo is the chambered nautilus.
context_section_description: In 1962, the Florida Legislature authorized the State Board of Education to locate a state university in Escambia County. Following a feasibility study, which demonstrated the need for an institution of higher education in northwest Florida, funds were allocated for the development of the University of West Florida. Harold Crosby was appointed the first president in July 1964. UWF was the sixth institution of the State University System of Florida, which today consists of twelve institutions of higher learning.
  Ground was broken on April 16, 1965, and in the same year the chambered nautilus was adopted as the official UWF emblem. The initial building program consisted of an administration classroom complex, library, commons building, science complex, humanities building, audiovisual facility, utilities building and 15 student housing buildings accommodating approximately 500 resident students. The first students began classes in the fall of 1967, and in June 1968, 58 students received degrees in the first commencement ceremony.
  Current facilities at UWF include 35 academic buildings, 21 student services facilities, 7 residence halls, two university village student apartment complexes, and 20 plant support facilities. In 1997, an additional 600 acres (2.4 km²) were acquired, which brought the Pensacola campus to a total of 1,600 acres (6.5 km²), the second-largest flagship campus in the State University System.
  Initially, the university was organized in three resident or cluster colleges: Alpha, Gamma and Omega. Not only were academic disciplines assigned to these colleges, but student government, cultural programs and other activities were also conducted within the colleges. UWF was originally an upper-level institution, enrolling juniors, seniors and graduate students. The first students began classes in the fall of 1967, and the first commencement exercises were held in June 1968, where 58 students received degrees. In 1969, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredited the university undergraduate programs, and the first master's degree programs were established.
  In July 1979, the university organized into a more traditional structure by establishing three colleges: arts and sciences, business, and education. Prior to 1983, UWF consisted of an upper division and postgraduate school, with input to the upper division coming primarily from students who had attended and earned an associate degree from a junior college or community college. Following authorization by the Florida Legislature, a lower division was established and freshmen attended the university for the first time in the fall of 1983, boosting enrollment from 5,200 students to 5,920 students.
  In July 1988, Computer Science – a department within the College of Business – was identified as the Division of Computer Science and plans began to incorporate it into a fourth college: Science and Technology. That decision was later reversed, and computer science was moved to the School of Computer Science and Engineering within the College of Arts and Sciences. During the fall of 1999, the colleges reorganized as the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and the College of Professional Studies.
  Today, the university has five colleges: College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities; College of Business; College of Education and Professional Studies; Usha Kundu, MD College of Health; and the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering. The most recent reorganization took place in 2015, splitting the former College of Science, Engineering and Health in two.
caption: Foliage at UWF
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