University of South Florida
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| University of South Florida | |
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| Motto: | "Truth and Wisdom" |
| Established: | 1955 |
| Endowment: | US $388.5 million[1] |
| President: | Judy Genshaft |
| Faculty: | 2,503 |
| Undergraduates: | 34,036 |
| Postgraduates: | 8,359 |
| Location: | Tampa, Florida, USA |
| Campus: | 1,913 acres (7.74 km²) |
| Colors: | Green and Gold |
| Nickname: | Bulls |
| Mascot: | Rocky D. Bull |
| Website: | http://www.usf.edu |
The University of South Florida (USF), known within its system as USF Tampa,[2][3][4] is a public university system located in Tampa, Florida, USA, with an autonomous campus in St. Petersburg,[5] and branch centers in Sarasota and Lakeland.[6] The main campus is located in North Tampa, near the City of Temple Terrace. It is bordered on the south by Fowler Avenue and on the north by Fletcher Avenue with Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to the west and 50th Street on the east side. The university is in close proximity to the Museum of Science and Industry as well as Busch Gardens and the University Mall shopping center.
The university is the third largest in the state of Florida (after University of Florida and University of Central Florida), with a total enrollment of 44,891 for the 2007 academic year.[7] USF is currently ranked ninth in the country in terms of enrolled students. Academically, USF is a top tier public research university, one of only three in Florida and 63 in the nation. [8]
USF's mascot is the Bull (originally called the Brahman) and its colors are green and gold. The university's sports teams participate at the NCAA Division I-A level. In 2005, USF joined the Big East Conference. USF previously belonged to Conference USA, the Metro Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference.
USF is currently the national headquarters for Phi Alpha Theta, a professional history honor society which promotes the study of history.[9]
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[edit] 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," "Ponce de Leon University," "Flamerica University," and "The University of Florida at Temple Terrace."[10] 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.[11]
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, Ph.D.[12][citation needed] President Brown appointed scholarly administrators such as Jim Strange, Ph.D., Dean of Arts and Letters, and Andor Szentivanyi, Dean of Medicine. 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.
USF played its first football game in 1997. Its marching band, the Herd of Thunder formed in 1999.[13]
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.
[edit] Presidents
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[edit] Academics
[edit] Admissions
As of 2007, the University admitted 51 percent of all applicants. The average high school GPA of the incoming students was 3.61.[15] For the 2005 enrolled freshmen, the average SAT score was 1125 and the ACT average was 24.[16] U.S. News and World Report has ranked the University as "more selective."[17]
[edit] Organization and rankings
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
U.S. News & World Report has ranked the University as a "third tier" national university.[17] Collegeprowler.com has ranked the University as "B-" in academics, comparable with Arizona State, Loyola and Texas A&M University.[18] The Princeton Review has ranked the University as one of the best Southeastern colleges and best value colleges.[19]
USF has a total of over 18 colleges, schools and institutions.[20] 7 colleges offer undergraduate degrees.
- Colleges (*denotes the offering of undergraduate degrees):
- College of Arts & Sciences*
- Dean: John Skvoretz[21]
- College of Business*
- Dean: Robert Forsythe[22]
- College of Education*
- Dean: Colleen S. Kennedy, PhD[23]
- College of Engineering*
- Acting Dean: Dr Rafael Perez[24]
- College of Health Sciences
- Vice President: Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA[25]
- Honors College*
- Dean: Dr. Stuart Silverman[26]
- College of Marine Science
- Dean: Peter Betzer, PhD[27]
- College of Medicine
- Dean: Stephen Klasko, MD[25]
- College of Nursing*
- Dean: Patricia Burns, PhD, FAAN[25]
- College of Public Health
- Dean: Donna Petersen, ScD[25]
- College of Visual & Performing Arts*
- Dean: Ron Jones[28]
- College of Arts & Sciences*
- Schools:
- School of Accountancy
- Director: Robert M. Keith[29]
- School of Architecture & Community Design
- Dean: Charles Hight[30]
- School of Art and Art History
- Director: Wallace Wilson[31]
- School of Library and Information Science
- Director: Vicki Gregory[32]
- School of Music
- Director: Wade Weast[33]
- School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences
- Associate Dean: William S. Quillen, PT, PhD, SCS, FACSM[34]
- School of Theatre and Dance Arts
- Director: Marc Powers[35]
- School of Accountancy
- Institute:
- The Louis de la Parte Institute (FMHI)
- Interim Dean: Bob Friedman, PhD[36]
- The Louis de la Parte Institute (FMHI)
[edit] 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.[37] 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.[38]
[edit] 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.[5]
[edit] Sarasota-Manatee Campus
USF Sarasota-Manatee was established in 1975, since then it shared a campus with the New College of Florida.[39] 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.[40]
[edit] 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.[41]
[edit] Research
Libraries
The USF Library System consists 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 Institute Research Library.
[edit] Academic freedom
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.[42] Dr. Al-Arian was accused of by the University of using his position to support terrorism.[42] After placing Dr. Al-Arian on paid administrative leave, Dr. Al-Arian and three other suspects were indicted on 51 charges relating to terrorism. The University then fired Dr. Al-Arian. The report found that the University had "acted in disregard of academic due process."[42] The AAUP also found that the University dismissed Dr. Al-Arian prior to granting him "any opportunity to defend himself against the administration's charges," and thus violating his "academic due process."[42]
[edit] Athletics
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] 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 Korea Olympics.
[edit] Cycling
After several years of inactivity, in 2006 the USF cycling team was resurrected. They continue to be a force to reckon with in the South Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference under the leadership of local celebrity cyclist Mike Suver.
[edit] Football
- See also: South Florida Bulls 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.[43] 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 a ranked opponent. As a result, USF received its first-ever votes in the AP college football poll. USF went on to beat ranked opponent 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.[44] 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 18th, 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 having accepted an invitation to play in the Brut Sun Bowl.
[edit] Student Government
The Student Government, like all Florida student government's, is an agency of the state created under Florida Statute 2004.26. 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 the 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 Florida Statute 1009.24. 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. [7]
[edit] 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.[45] Today The Oracle is published five times a week and has a circulation of more than 12,000.
Also, The student radio station, WBUL (AM), is located in the Phyllis P. Marshall Center, the student union named for an administrator who spent 40 years at USF.[46]
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.[47]
[edit] Art
USF's Contemporary Art Museum 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, and James Rosenquist. 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.
[edit] Music
USF's School of Music has been steadily growing since the university opened in 1956.
In 2005 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 both during the festival at USF. The festival includes clinicians 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.
[edit] ROTC
USF is one of only 38 institutions that host all three (Army [8], Naval [9] and Air Force [10]) 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.
[edit] Student housing
Despite the rise in demand for on-campus housing, only thirteen percent of USF's student body (approximately 5,600 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, Residence Services acquired the houses of various fraternities and sororities on campus and relinquished control of Fontana Hall, 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.[49][50][51] 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.[52] Older residence halls, such as Beta Hall (which houses freshmen only), Betty Castor Hall (formerly Gamma Hall, women-only),[53] and Kosove Apartments (formerly Alpha Hall, upperclassmen)[54] 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 Towers, which will add 1,000 beds to USF, 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 within a 15 mile radius of USF.
[edit] 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.[55][56]
[edit] Fraternities
Alpha Epsilon Pi 1985 Alpha Phi Alpha 1972 Beta Theta Pi 1992 Chi Phi 1983 Delta Chi 1998 Delta Epsilon Psi 2005 Delta Sigma Pi 1970 Iota Phi Theta 2003 Kappa Kappa Psi 2001 Kappa Sigma 1968 Lambda Chi Alpha 1968 (Suspended 2006) Lambda Theta Phi 1998 Omega Psi Phi 1972 Phi Beta Sigma 1974 Phi Delta Theta 1967 Phi Mu Alpha 1968 Pi Kappa Alpha 1968 Sigma Alpha Epsilon 1968 Sigma Beta Rho 2001 Sigma Chi 1979 Sigma Lambda Beta 1995 Sigma Nu 1967 Sigma Phi Epsilon 1968 Tau Kappa Epsilon 1967 (Suspended 2005) Zeta Beta Tau 1968 Delta Epsilon Psi 1998
[edit] Sororities
Alpha Delta Pi 1967, Alpha Kappa Alpha 1972, Alpha Omicron Pi 1985, Chi Omega 1968, Delta Delta Delta 1966, Delta Gamma 1969, Kappa Delta 1967, Lambda Theta Alpha 1998, Sigma Delta Tau 1988, Sigma Gamma Rho 1981, Sigma Sigma Rho 2002, Zeta Phi Beta 1980, Zeta Tau Alpha 2003
[edit] Coed Service Fraternity
Alpha Phi Omega 1968 (declared inactive in 1992, Rechartered 2004)
[edit] Traditions
[edit] Alma Mater
- Hail to Thee, our Alma Mater[57]
- May 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 free
- University of South Florida,
- Alma Mater, Hail to thee!
- Be our guide in truth and wisdom
- As we onward go,
- May thy glory, fame and honor
- Never cease to grow;
- May our thoughts and prayers
- be with thee through eternity,
- University of South Florida,
- Alma Mater, Hail to thee!
[edit] Golden Brahman March (Fight Song)
- USF Bulls are we,[58]
- 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 battle
- here and now, and we will win the victory!
- (shout!) S-O-U-T-H F-L-O-R-I-D-A
- South Florida, South Florida
- Go Bulls!
[edit] 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.[13]
[edit] Notable alumni
- USF is the alma mater to many notable persons.
[edit] Points of Interest
- H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
- Raymond James Stadium (home stadium of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, used by the South Florida Bulls for football games)
- University of South Florida Botanical Gardens
- USF Sun Dome
- WUSF
- WBUL (AM)
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ [1] 2006-2007_Performance_Report
- ^ Tampa Campus Services
- ^ Two local residents honored at USF Tampa fall 2001 commencement ceremonies
- ^ Distance Learning
- ^ a b About USF St. Petersburg
- ^ USF Campuses
- ^ Quick Facts About USF
- ^ USF Coup: $8-million biotech center
- ^ Phi Alpha Theta - Faculty Advisor - National Headquarters
- ^ USF Site, Name Stirred Struggles
- ^ Reflections on the John Allen Legacy
- ^ Honorary Committee Biographies
- ^ a b From the beginning...THE HISTORY OF THE HERD OF THUNDER ATHLETIC BANDS
- ^ Hall of Presidents
- ^ Peterson's [2]
- ^ 2006 Statistical Survey [www.ods.usf.edu/DSS/Resources/docs/USNews/USNews-Main-Survey-2006.pdf]
- ^ a b America's Best Colleges [3]
- ^ Prowler Rankings [4]
- ^ Princeton Review[5]
- ^ Academics
- ^ Development and Alumni Affairs - About the College
- ^ Office of the Dean
- ^ Office of the Dean
- ^ College Administration
- ^ a b c d USF Health Leadership
- ^ USF Honors College
- ^ Dean's Welcome
- ^ Faculty & Staff
- ^ Director's Greeting
- ^ Faculty & Staff
- ^ Faculty
- ^ USF School of Library and Information Science Faculty
- ^ University of South Florida School of Music - Faculty & Staff
- ^ Message From The Director
- ^ USF College of Visual and Performing Arts - School of Theatre and Dance Faculty & Staff List
- ^ Dean's Message
- ^ Campuses
- ^ A9505_1.PDF
- ^ 2007 Quick Facts USF Sarasota-Manatee
- ^ About the new USF Sarasota-Manatee campus
- ^ About USF Lakeland
- ^ a b c d AAUP Report [6]
- ^ South Florida Historical Data
- ^ USF Earns 1st AP Ranking
- ^ In the Beginning...
- ^ Phyllis Marshall slept here - 40 Years of Memories
- ^ About WUSF Public Broadcasting
- ^ Beta Hall
- ^ Suite-Style Residence Halls
- ^ Greek Village
- ^ Traditional-Style Residence Halls
- ^ University of South Florida: The First 50 Years
- ^ Castor hall
- ^ Kosove Apartments
- ^ USF Interfraternity Council
- ^ USF Panhellenic Council
- ^ History of the USF Alma Mater
- ^ Bulls’ Football Stands Spirit
[edit] External links
- Official USF website
- Official athletics website
- USF Digital Special Collections, Open Access and full text of many rare books, maps, and more
- USF Libraries on YouTube
| University of South Florida | |
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University of South Florida • University of South Florida Lakeland • University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee • University of South Florida St. Petersburg |
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List of University of South Florida alumni • John S. Allen • Betty Castor • Judy Genshaft • W. Reece Smith Jr. • Karen A. White |
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Herd of Thunder • Rocky the Bull • South Florida Bulls • The War on I-4 • USF Sailing Team |
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The Crow’s Nest • The Oracle • WBUL • WUSF (FM) • WUSF-TV |
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USF Athletic Facility • University of South Florida Botanical Gardens • USF Soccer Stadium • USF Sun Dome |
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