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University of South Florida
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The University of South Florida (USF), a public institution known within the State University System of Florida as USF Tampa, is a public research university system located in Tampa, Florida, USA, with an autonomous campus in St. Petersburg, and branch centers in Sarasota and Lakeland. The main campus is located in North Tampa, near the City of Temple Terrace.
Founded in 1956, USF is the ninth largest university in the nation and the third largest in the state of Florida, with a total enrollment of 46,174 as of the fall 2008 semester.
USF is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as engaging "very high research".
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Encyclopedia
The University of South Florida (USF), a public institution known within the State University System of Florida as USF Tampa, is a public research university system located in Tampa, Florida, USA, with an autonomous campus in St. Petersburg, and branch centers in Sarasota and Lakeland. The main campus is located in North Tampa, near the City of Temple Terrace.
Founded in 1956, USF is the ninth largest university in the nation and the third largest in the state of Florida, with a total enrollment of 46,174 as of the fall 2008 semester.
USF is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as engaging "very high research". Furthermore, the university's proposal to create the Florida Center of Excellence for Biomolecular Identification and Target Therapeutics, an $8 million proposal, was ranked highest among all grant proposals considered by the Florida Technology, Research and Scholarship Board in 2006. The Princeton Review ranked the university among the "366 Best Colleges" in the United States. USF is also one of the nation's top centers for the advancement in research of treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.
The university lists five strategic priorities: student success, research and innovation, community engagement, global literacy and impact, and integrated, interdisciplinary inquiry.
History
USF was founded in 1956. However, the university was not officially named until the following year, and courses did not start until 1960. Some of the original proposed names included "Citrus State University", "Sunshine State University," "The University of the Western Hemisphere," and "The University of Florida at Temple Terrace." Former US Representative Sam Gibbons was instrumental in the school's creation when he was a state representative and is considered by many to essentially be the school's founder. It was built on the site of Henderson Air Field, a World War II airstrip. Although located in west-central Florida, at the time of establishment USF was the southernmost public university in the State of Florida, a geographic situation that lent USF its sometimes confusing name.
The university first grew under the leadership of John Allen, who was the president from 1957 until 1970. During this time, the university expanded rapidly, due in part to the first graduate degree programs commencing in 1964. Allen elected to resign and retire in 1970. Under Allen's leadership, USF touted itself as the "Harvard of the South". Dr. Allen was known for his opposition to college sports in favor of an environment more academically centered. Today, the main administration complex is called The John and Grace Allen Center, named after him and his wife.
The university takes great pride in advancing its position as a research university in promotional advertisements and brochures. USF emerged as a major research institution during the 1980s under the presidency of John Lott Brown President Brown appointed scholarly administrators such as Jim Strange, Dean of Arts and Letters, and Andor Szentivanyi Dean of Medicine. He also recruited basketball coach Lee Rose one of the most popular coaches in Bull's history.
Two university hospitals, The H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and USF Psychiatry Center, as well as the college of public health were built during Brown's presidency.
Brown's final accomplishment was building on Szentivanyi's friendship with immunologist Robert A. Good and appointing Good Chair of Pediatrics at All Children's Hospital while simultaneously obtaining a Certificate of Need for a Tampa Children's Hospital.
USF played its first football game in 1997. Its marching band, the Herd of Thunder formed in 1999.
USF's Fiftieth anniversary was in 2006. Part of the celebration year were numerous special events, announced plans for a bigger student union and guest lecturers such as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Fernando Chavez, Judy Shepard (mother of Matthew Shepard), and conservative author Ann Coulter, all part of the University Lecture Series. The Campus Activities Board (CAB) has brought comedians Monique, Dane Cook and Bruce Bruce among others. CAB has continued and begun new traditions such as the Yacht Party, Winter Wonderland and Movies on the Lawn.
Presidents
| Presidents |
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| Person | Years | | Person | Years |
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| President | 1957-1970 | | Francis T. Borkowski President | 1988-1993 | | Harris Dean Interim President | 1970-1971 | | Robert Bryan Interim President | 1993-1994 | | Cecil Mackey President | 1971-1976 | | President | 1994-1999 | | Interim President | 1976-1977 | | Thomas Tighe Acting President | Fall 1999 | | Carl Riggs Interim President | 1977-1978 | | Richard Peck Interim President | 1999-2000 | | John Lott Brown President | 1978-1988 | | President | 2000-Present |
Enrollment facts
, of the total student population, there were 34,447 undergraduate students (75 percent), 8,338 graduate students (19 percent), 1,980 non-degree seeking students (4 percent) and 479 medical students (1 percent).
Fall 2007 semester
The freshman class consisted of 3,797 First Time In College Students (FTIC). The average GPA of those admitted to the university was 3.71. The average SAT Test scores was 1148. 55 percent of students graduated within the top 20 percent of their high school class. 88 percent of students were Florida Bright Future Scholarship recipients. 32 pecent of the students admitted were minorities. In the freshman class, 3,574 students came from 430 Florida high schools from 57 counties. For this class, students that did not attend Florida high schools, came from 50 countries and 37 U.S. states. Furthermore, one in every two freshman students lived on campus. Twelve students from this class are National Merit Scholars, five are National Achievement Scholars and 13 are National Hispanic Scholars.
Student profile
the student ethnicity profile of the university consisted of: 65 percent white students (29,578), 12 percent African American students (5,277), 12 percent Hispanic students (5,331), six percent Asian/Pacific Islander (2,582), one percent American Indian (201) and five percent of students did not report (2,325).
The Princeton Review has ranked the university 17th in nation for diversity among students.
the international student population of the university consisted of 541 undergraduate students, 827 graduate students, and 102 non-degree seeking students, totaling 1,470 international students representing 127 countries.
Rankings
U.S. News & World Report has ranked the University as a "third tier" national university. The Princeton Review has ranked the University as one of the best Southeastern colleges and best value colleges.
The USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences has recently been ranked 69th out of over 200 universities; the first time ever for the school and one of only three schools in Florida (University of Miami and University of Florida were also ranked).
The USF College of Nursing is ranked 72nd in a 2007 study, a jump from a previous 115th position in the same study in 2003.
U.S. News & World Reports "America's Best Graduate Schools 2009" has ranked four USF progams among the nations best Graduate Programs in Education, Nursing, Industrial & Organizational Psychology with the university's College of Education ranking 45th in the nation and its graduate program in Industrial and Organizational Psychology being highly ranked as 10th in the United States.
The Princeton Review has ranked the University of South Florida Center For Entrepreneurial Programs 5th in the country.
University structure
USF has eighteen colleges, schools, and institutions. Seven colleges offer undergraduate degrees.
Satellite campuses
The University of South Florida has three satellite campuses: USF St. Petersburg, USF Sarasota-Manatee and USF Lakeland. There is also a downtown center in downtown Tampa. A fourth satellite campus, in Fort Myers, was in operation from 1974 until 1997 when campus operations were usurped into the new Florida Gulf Coast University.
St. Petersburg Campus
USF St. Petersburg was established in 1965 in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida as the "Bayboro Campus". In 2006, USF St. Petersburg was accredited as a separate entity within the University of South Florida system by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools starting with the 2006–2007 school year.
Sarasota-Manatee campus
USF Sarasota-Manatee was established in 1975, since then it shared a campus with the New College of Florida. New College and USF Sarasota-Manatee would continue to share campuses until a new campus was built for USF Sarasota Manatee. The new campus opened on August 28 2006.
Lakeland campus
USF Lakeland was established in 1988, it serves over 2,000 students offering over 20 complete undergraduate and graduate degrees through the areas of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, and Information Technology. The campus also supports a number of individual classes, electives, web-based courses, certificate programs and program partnerships with the main campus in Tampa.
Academic profile
, the university offers: 89 undergraduate degrees programs, 91 master degree programs, 2, Ed Specialist degrees, 36 Doctoral Degrees and one First Professional degree (MD).
The university, in the 2006-2007 academic year, awarded 6,743 undergraduate degrees, 2,095 graduate degrees, 18 Ed Specialists degrees, 219 Doctoral degrees, and 116 First Professional degrees for a total of 9,202.
In Fall of 2006, the university had a 80 percent freshman retention rate. The student-to-faculty ratio was reported as being 19:1. Also for that year, the six year graduation rate was 49 percent (Fall, 2000).
Faculty profile
Eighty-seven percent of USF faculty members hold terminal degrees, 28 hold endowed professorships, and 62 are Distinguished University Professors. There is a total of 1,937 instructional faculty members, 1,303 adjunct professors, and 183 post-doctoral appointees. The student faculty is composed of 1,763 graduate assistants and 2,419 student assistants. (Figures are for the 2006-2007 academic year).
Research
Libraries
The USF Libraries consist of six libraries: the Tampa Library on the main campus; the Poynter Library on the St. Petersburg campus; the Jane Bancroft Cook Library on the Sarasota campus; a new library on the Lakeland campus; and the special libraries. The special libraries are the Shimberg Health Sciences Library and the Florida Mental Health Institute Research Library.
Controversy
In 2003, the American Association of University Professors released a report criticizing the University for its actions in connection with Dr. Sami Al-Arian, associate professor of computer science and engineering. Al-Arian was accused of by the University of using his position to support terrorism. After placing Al-Arian on paid administrative leave, Al-Arian and three other suspects were indicted on 51 charges relating to terrorism. The University then fired Al-Arian. The report found that the University had "acted in disregard of academic due process." The AAUP also found that the University dismissed Al-Arian prior to granting him "any opportunity to defend himself against the administration's charges," and thus violating his "academic due process."
Athletics
USF Joined the Big East Conference in 2005. The Bulls compete in the following sports; Baseball, Mens and Women's Basketball, Golf, Football, Mens and Women's Socccer, Softball, Tennis, Cross Country, Track, Volleyball.
Baseball
The Head Baseball Coach is Lelo Prado. He is a native of Cuba who grew up in Tampa before embarking on an ultra-successful college coaching career that includes back-to-back NCAA Division II National Championships in his hometown. He returned to Tampa on June 16, 2006 to become the fifth coach in the USF baseball program's history. In two years with the Bulls, Prado has produced consecutive BIG EAST Championship appearances, picking up a pair of wins in the post-season tournament both years. Prado has been successful at USF, leading the Bulls to back-to-back seasons with 30 plus wins.
Basketball
The birth of the college basketball program at the University of South Florida was in 1971. The first game was a 74-73 victory over Stetson University. The season ended with 8 wins and 17 losses.
The Mens Head Coach is Stan Heath. Heath was named USF Head Coach on April 3, 2007 - marking the official start to a new era in the program’s history. Heath has seven years of experience coaching at the collegiate level, and has been to the NCAA tournament three times. In his first season at USF, Heath helped guide two players to BIG EAST all-conference honors, first team selection senior Kentrell Gransberry and record-setting freshman Dominique Jones, who captured honorable mention laurels and was a unanimous pick on the All-Rookie Team. Heath, 43, arrived at USF after serving as head coach at the University of Arkansas for five seasons. While with the Razorbacks, Heath guided the program to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2006, 2007) and an overall record of 82-71. UA posted 20-win campaigns in each of his final two seasons and 2006-07 was highlighted by a run to the championship game of the SEC Tournament and subsequent participation in the NCAAs.
The Women's Head Coach is Jose Fernandez. Fernandez arrived in Tampa, in April 2000, as an assistant women's basketball coach and was officially named head coach on Dec. 14, 2000. As head coach at USF he has guided the Bulls to an unprecedented five-straight postseason tournaments and to the cusp of bringing his program into the upper echelon of the BIG EAST Conference. Under his tutelage, USF advanced to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament during the 2005-06 season, and to five seasons of .500 or better - in the past seven years - after the Bulls had recorded just three winning seasons, all 14-13 slate's, in the last 23 year's. He has also guided USF to two 20-win campaigns - 21-11 in 2004-05 and 21-12 in 2006-07 - over the last four years.
Football
USF began college football play as a 1-AA independent in 1997, moved to 1-A in 2001, then to Conference USA in 2003, and now competes in the Big East conference (as of 2005) with its Bowl Championship Series (BCS) tie-ins.
Additionally, USF's rapid advancement to the Big East Conference and the associated gains in recruiting have been helped greatly by its facilities. The Bulls recently opened an $18 million athletic facility on campus, and the football team plays its home games in Raymond James Stadium, also the home field of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bulls' head coach, Jim Leavitt, has been with the team for ten seasons as of 2007. On September 24, 2005, USF surprised ninth-ranked University of Louisville, for its first victory over a Big East conference foe, as well as its first victory over a ranked opponent. As a result, USF received its first-ever votes in the AP college football poll. USF went on to beat ranked opponents by defeating #7 West Virginia University on November 25, 2006, #17 Auburn University on September 8, 2007, #5 West Virginia again on September 28, 2007.
On September 16, 2007, a week after defeating Auburn, USF was nationally ranked for the first time in the young program's history. The AP poll listed USF at #23, while the USA Today coaches poll had the Bulls at #24. This is an NCAA record, as USF achieved its first Top 25 ranking faster than any other Division I-A school in the modern era. Since becoming a bowl-eligible Division I-A member in 2001, the Bulls were ranked after 104 AP polls during the fourth week of their seventh season. Boise State had the previous record, getting ranked after 115 AP polls during the 13th week of its seventh year as a bowl-eligible Division I-A member. On October 14, 2007, after the AP, Coaches', and BCS rankings were released, the Bulls were ranked #2, #3, and #2 respectively, the highest ranked the school's football program has ever been. However, on Thursday October 18, the Bulls lost to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a 30-27 upset in Piscataway, New Jersey. Two more losses followed in the next 2 games, knocking the Bulls out of the college rankings. The Bulls rebounded to finish the 2007 season 9–3, ranked #21 in the BCS standings, and played in the Brut Sun Bowl. The Bulls, however, lost to the University of Oregon Ducks by a score of 56–21 in that contest. In 2008 the Bulls made it as high as #10 in the rankings.
Golf
The Mens Golf Coach is Jim Fee. A 1985 graduate of USF, Fee was named head coach and director of golf at the USF Golf Course in August 1996. The management of the university’s golf course was transferred to a private management company in 2006, and now Fee’s sole responsibility is the development of the golf program and his players.
The Women's Golf Coach is Marci Kornegay. A 2001 graduate from the University of Mississippi, Kornegay was named head coach of the women's golf program in June 2007. She came to USF from the University of South Carolina, where she was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from July 2004 until her appointment at USF. Kornegay was a nominee for the 2006-07 NGCA Assistant Golf Coach of the Year.
Sailing
A nationally recognized women's sailing program at USF is coached by Allison Jolly the gold medalist in the first olympic women's sailing event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Soccer
George Kiefer, the 2005 NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year is a native of Bay Shore, NY. Kiefer was named USF’s head coach on June 21, 2002, becoming the program’s sixth coach in its 40-year history. Since arriving in Tampa, Kiefer has compiled a 64-38-13 (.613) record in six years at USF, leading the Bulls to four seasons of 10-or-more wins and a 37-9-7 (.764) record at home. Under Kiefer, USF has faced 29 nationally ranked opponents, registering a 14-11-4 record versus the nation’s elite.
The USF Mens soccer team beat St. Johns to win the Big East Conference title in 2008. They made it to the Elite Eight of the 2008 NCAA College Cup Championships, where they lost to number 1 seed Wake Forest.
Tennis
Mens Head Coach Don Barr came to USF in 1991 as an assistant coach and assumed head coaching duties in 1992. His leadership has led to the most successful seasons in the 43-year history of the Bulls program, including five conference championships and six Coach of the Year awards.
Volleyball
Claire Lessinger was named the 10th head coach in USF volleyball history on March 18, 2004. Lessinger, has battled to transform the program into BIG EAST Champion contenders, leading the Bulls to back-to-back BIG EAST Conference Tournaments including a third place showing in 2007.
Student Government
The Student Government, like all Florida student government's, is an agency of the state created under . The Student Government is responsible for advocating for students at the university, local, state and national levels, provides enhancements to student life on and off campus, and the Student Senate allocates and expends over $10 million in Activity and Service fees a year by Florida law. The Student Government is set up much like the federal government and is bound by the Student Body Constitution, Student Government Statutes, university regulations, and applicable law. Student Government employs over 200 students and is housed in the Marshall Student Center building.
The Executive Administration, headed by the Student Body President and Vice President, oversees several departments (Department of Community and Government Affairs, Department of Academic and University Affairs, Department of Student Life and Development, Office of Legal Affairs, and the Department of Marketing and Public Affairs) and service agencies (SAFE Team Agency, Student Government Computer Services Agency, Student Resource Agency, and WBUL Student Radio) which allow them to carry out their duties. The Student Body President sits on the University Board of Trustees and is a member of the Florida Student Association (FSA). In accordance with the Florida Constitution, the Chair of FSA (elected by all other Student Body Presidents) is a member of the Florida Board of Governors which oversees the State University System of Florida.
The Student Senate, headed by the Senate President and Senate President Pro-Tempore, is the voice of the Student Body which creates legislation and allocates and expends Activity and Service fee funds per . The Senate has 60 seats that are filled by college. Each college is allotted a certain numbers of seats depending on the size of the college. The Senate carries out its duties mostly through committees, such as the Rules and Budget committees. The Senate Executive Committee (SenEx) is made up of the Senate President, Senate President Pro-Tempore, and all standing committee chairs and oversees administrative functions of the Senate.
The Student Supreme Court, headed by a Chief Justice, hears cases involving students and Student Government and also hears all final parking appeals for students at the Tampa campus.
University and student media
Beginning in 1961, USF's first student newspaper was the Campus Edition of The Tampa Times, a now defunct local afternoon newspaper. It was succeeded by The Oracle which was first published on September 6, 1966 as a weekly. Today The Oracle is published four times a week (previously five, due to budget cuts) and has a circulation of more than 12,000.
Also, the student radio station, WBUL (AM), is located in the Phyllis P. Marshall Center.
In 1963, the school began to operate WUSF, an FM station which offers classical and jazz music and National Public Radio (NPR) programming.
The major television studio associated with USF is WUSF-TV studios. The station is funded by local corporate and private contributors as well as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and is affiliated with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It has been serving the Tampa Bay area for nearly 50 years. Full-time employees as well as part-time student trainees and those seeking Mass Communication course credit staff the state-of-the-art facility.
Art
features regular exhibitions of contemporary art, including a show of faculty work every three years and an annual juried student show. USF also operates Graphicstudio, an art studio and printshop which has hosted artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, and Allan McCollum. Regular exhibitions of student work are featured in the William and Nancy Oliver Gallery and the student-run Centre Gallery in the Marshall Center. The art department puts on an event called "art house" that happens the same night as the annual juried student show where all of the studios are open with current work on display for people to walk through.
Music
USF's School of Music has been steadily growing since the university opened in 1956.
In 2006 the School of Music held the first annual Robert Helps Festival and Composition Competition. The festival and competition is named for the late piano and composition professor Robert Helps and is held the second week in February. The international composition competition is for young adult composers and features a $10,000 prize and premieres of the winning work during the festival at USF. The festival includes masterclasses, presentations and lectures from renowned musicians in addition to nightly concerts performed by students and faculty, including the traditional Valentine's Day concert started by Robert Helps featuring the USF faculty. The 3rd annual Robert Helps Festival included master classes and lectures by Augusta Read Thomas, David del Tredici, Wes York, Vivian Perlis, and Carol Rodland.
ROTC
USF is one of only 38 institutions that host all three (Army , Naval and Air Force ) ROTC programs. With almost 400 students enrolled in the programs and proximity to three major military commands (Central Command, Special Operations Command and Southern Command), the University became the home of the nations first Joint Military Leadership Center (JMLC). The Center is charged to provide the student cadets/ midshipmen and officer candidates with unique (Joint, Multinational, and Interagency) core competencies and skills in leadership development, global understanding, and military/national defense strategies. The “end state” of the Center's actions is an academically-structured, research based, and values-driven program that educates, trains and prepares military Officers and Service Leaders for their leadership roles in the continuing transformation of our Armed Forces and in a dynamic and challenging global environment.
Student housing
Despite the rise in demand for on-campus housing, only thirteen percent of USF's student body (approximately 4,300 students) lives in a university residence hall. Many students find it more cost effective and desirable to live in area apartment complexes that cater to students. These "resident commuters" make up the majority of the student body.
In recent years, Housing and Residential Education acquired the houses of various fraternities and sororities on campus and relinquished control of The Edge, a high rise residential hall located outside campus boundaries.
Most on-campus housing was built from 1960 to 1965, and each hall was named after a Greek letter. During this period, an ambitious fundraising campaign called "Dollars for Dorms" was initiated and appealed to individual and business interests in the Tampa Bay area. Older residence halls, such as Beta Hall (which houses freshmen only), Betty Castor Hall (formerly Gamma Hall, women-only), and Kosove Apartments (formerly Alpha Hall, upperclassmen) received extensive remodeling in the early 2000s. The other Greek letter residence halls (named in order from Delta to Mu) are built in a confined community area known as the Andros Complex.
Newer housing subdivisions, such as the Cypress Suites and Apartments, Maple Hall, Holly Apartments, and the Magnolia Apartments, were built in the late 1990s. The last of them, the Cypress complex, was completed in the summer of 2004.
Magnolia Hall, which will add 1,020 beds to USF and a new dining hall on the first floor, should be completed by Fall 2009. USF will require all incoming freshman to live on campus their first year at the college. Students exempt from this new rule include students who live in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties.
Greek Life
USF has a very large community centered around Greek life, comprising of a number of fraternities and sororities. Listed below are the fraternities and sororities sponsored by USF, and the years in which they were founded on the campus.
Fraternities
Sororities
Coed service fraternity
Traditions
Alma mater
Hail to Thee, our Alma MaterMay thy name be told,Where above thy gleaming splendor,Waves the green and gold.Thou our guide in quest for knowledge.Where we all are freeUniversity of South Florida,Alma Mater, Hail to thee!
Be our guide in truth and wisdomAs we onward go,May thy glory, fame and honorNever cease to grow;May our thoughts and prayersbe with thee through eternity,University of South Florida,Alma Mater, Hail to thee!
Golden Brahman March (fight song)
USF Bulls are we,We hold our standard upright and free.For Green and Gold we stand united.Our beacon lighted and noble to see.USF Bulls are we,For USF will always be.With all our might we fight the battlehere and now, and we will win the victory!(shout!) S-O-U-T-H F-L-O-R-I-D-ASouth Florida, South FloridaGo Bulls!
Band
The Herd of Thunder (often called HOT or the Pride of the Bay) is the athletic band of the South Florida Bulls, including the show band, pep band, and marching band ensembles, although it is often used to refer simply to the marching band. It was founded in 1999, two years after USF fielded its first football team.
Notable alumni
Points of interest
Footnotes
External links
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