The University of Florida selected LaVilla, a historic neighborhood in Jacksonville, for its new graduate campus, Thursday.
UF Board of Trustees’ Governance, Government Relations and Internal Affairs Committee approved a recommendation by the City of Jacksonville to locate the campus around the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. A full UF board vote is scheduled for Friday.
The Florida Semiconductor Institute will also be part of the Jacksonville campus. The initiative, earning $80 million in state funding, stems from national efforts to enhance research and development of semiconductor chips, according to a press release from the City of Jacksonville.
The campus’ graduate degree offerings are currently being finalized and range from business, law, health science, engineering and AI concentrated degrees. The first day of classes for the graduate campus are set to begin Fall 2026.
According to the press release, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and her administration will work with the city’s Downtown Investment Authority and City Council to provide 22 buildable acres to UF at the graduate campus’ expected site.
Jacksonville and UF aim to start designing, planning and constructing the campus in 2025.
“UF has a bold vision for our campus in Jacksonville,” UF Board Chair Mori Hosseini said in the press release. “This will be a site that will give our students an opportunity to learn and thrive in a fast-growing city with incredible job opportunities.”
With the Florida Semiconductor Institute secured, the Deegan administration will propose $50 million of funding to span four years starting in the next fiscal year, beyond the $50 million budgeted by the city council in the spring of 2023.
Contact Nicole Beltran at nbeltran@alligator.org. Follow her on X @nicolebeltg.
Nicole Beltran is the Fall 2024 Senior News Director and El Caimán Editor. She's reported for El Caimán, University and Enterprise desk. In her spare time, she enjoys journaling about her day, watching movies and drinking matcha.
