University of South Florida

                           



The University of South Florida, also known as    University of South Florida  is an American metropolitan public research university located in Tampa, Florida, United States University of South Florida  also a member institution of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1956, University of South Florida  

 is the fourth-largest public university in the state of Florida, with a total enrollment of 48,373 as of the 2014 - 2015 academic year. The University of South Florida system comprises three institutions:  University of South Florida  Tampa,   University of South Florida  St. Peters burg and University of South Florida   


Sarasota Manatee.Each institution is separately accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The university is home to 14 colleges, offering more than 80 undergraduate majors and more than 130 graduate, specialist, and doctoral-level degree programs.


University of South Florida is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research universities, and is among three other universities in Florida to hold this highest level of 

classification.  In its 2011 ranking, the Intellectual Property Owners Association placed University of South Florida  10th among all universities worldwide in the number of US patents granted. The university has an 

annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of over $3.7 billion.  In a ranking compiled by the National Science Foundation, University of South Florida   ranks 43rd in the United States for total research spending among st all universities, public and private.


University of South Florida  ranks in the top 100 best public schools in the 2014 Best Colleges edition of U.S. News & World Report. University of South Florida  was named a national leader in online education 

by Guide to Online Schools.  US graduate level programs - including Public Health, Library and Information Studies, Education, and Criminology - continue to rank among the nation's 50 best in the U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings.

As of Fall 2014, there are more than 1,700 instructional faculty at the University of South Florida   Tampa campus. As of Fall 2011, the student to faculty ratio for the  University of South Florida  Tampa campus was 24- 1 Approximately 86 percent of full-time faculty members hold terminal degrees in their field of expertise.

 Additionally, the university has more than 1,200 adjunct professors, 300 post-doctoral scholars, over 2,000 graduate assistants, and 2,800 student assistants.

US faculty continue to be recognized on the global academic stage with over 35 scholars receiving prominent scholarly awards since 2009, including Fulbright, National Science Foundation, ALAS, Guggenheim, and 

National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships.  In 2012, a  University of South Florida  professor was one of four in the nation to receive the prestigious Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Council for Advancement and Support of Education 2012 U.S. Professor of the Year award.

University of South Florida  was the first independent state university conceived, planned, and built during the 20th century.  Former U.S. Representative Sam Gibbons was instrumental in the school's creation when he was a state representative and is considered by many to be the "Father of  University of South Florida  Though founded in 1956, the university was not officially named until the following year, and courses did not begin until 1960.


The university was built off Fowler Avenue on the site of Henderson Air Field, a World War II airstrip. Before Henderson Field, the area was part of the 1920s 5000 acre temple orange grove, the largest citrus grove in the world at the time, which gave the nearby City of Temple Terrace its name. In 1957, the Florida 

Cabinet approved the name "University of South Florida.  At the time,  University of South Florida  was the southernmost university in the state university system.  In 1962, the official University of South Florida   mascot was unveiled as the "Golden Brahman.  In the late 1980s, the mascot evolved into the "Bulls.

The university grew under the leadership of John Allen, who served as its first president from 1957 until his retirement in 1970. During this time, the university expanded rapidly, due in part to the first master's degree programs commencing in 1964.  Allen was known for his opposition to college sports in favor of an 

environment more academically centered. Allene's ultimate legacy was to be the first person to build a modern state university from scratch: "As a completely new and separate institution, the University of South Florida became the first new institution of its kind to be conceived, planned and built in the United States in the 20th century. 

Today the John and Grace Allen Administration Building, named after the university's founding president and his wife, houses vital Tampa campus departments including Student Affairs, the Admissions Welcome Center, and the Controller's Office.


The first University of South Florida Commencement ceremony was held in 1963 where 325 degrees were conferred. In the 2014-2015 academic year, the University of South Florida Tampa campus awarded more than 11,400 degrees at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Commencement ceremonies are

 held three times a year at the end of the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.  Spring ceremonies are generally the largest, with five separate ceremonies held each semester.Ceremonies for the University of South Florida Tampa campus are held in the University of South Florida Sun Dome. Additionally, the university live streams each ceremony for out-of-town guests to watch online.


Tampa campus when it opened.  In its early years, the University Center held the first on-campus women's residence hall, a cafeteria, post office, bookstore, game room, television room, and information desk.








The original University of South Florida student union was built in 1959 and opened in 1960. Originally called the University Center, it was one of the first five buildings that made up the University of South Florida  


  Classes were held in the basement and first floor of the building until other academic building were completed.  The center underwent major renovations from 1988 to 1990.  It was renamed the Phyllis P. Marshall Center in 1993, in honor of the woman who served as director of the building from 1976 to 1994.