UNF Vision and Mission
Statement of Vision
The University of North Florida aspires to be a preeminent public institution of higher learning that will serve the North Florida region at a level of national quality. The institution of choice for a diverse and talented student body, UNF will provide distinctive programs in the arts and sciences and professional fields. UNF faculty will excel in teaching and scholarship, sharing with students their passion for discovery. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors will enjoy a campus noteworthy for its communal spirit, cultural richness, and environmental beauty.
Statement of Mission
The University of North Florida fosters the intellectual and cultural growth and civic awareness of its students, preparing them to make significant contributions to their communities in the region and beyond. At UNF, students and faculty engage together and individually in the discovery and application of knowledge. UNF faculty and staff maintain an unreserved commitment to student success within a diverse, supportive campus culture.
Institutional Values
The University of North Florida is committed to values that promote the welfare and positive transformation of individuals, communities, and societies. We value:
- the pursuit of truth and knowledge carried out in the spirit of intellectual and artistic freedom;
- ethical conduct;
- community engagement;
- diversity
- responsibility to the natural environment; and
- mutual respect and civility.
Institutional Goals
- Cultivate a learning environment that supports intellectual curiosity, academic achievement, and personal growth.
- Recruit and support a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff who will contribute to and benefit from the university's mission.
- Support and recognize research and creative endeavor as essential university functions.
- Affirm the university's public responsibility through civic engagement and community-based learning and research.
- Secure fiscal, physical, and technological resources aligned with the unviersity's mission and values.
Fulfilling its Mission
In fulfilling its mission, UNF cultivates a learning environment that supports intellectual curiosity, academic achievement, and personal growth. This goal is supported by a strong academic curriculum comprised of 56 undergraduate, 27 masters, and 3 doctoral degree programs in the liberal arts and professional fields. These degree programs prepare UNF graduates to make vital contributions within their fields of study and to their respective communities. UNF proudly points to the fact that a growing number of its degree programs have been recognized nationally.
The University of North Florida seeks to recruit and support a diverse and talented student body of men and women who have demonstrated the capacity to excel in college. While enrolled in the University, UNF students are encouraged to work directly with faculty mentors and to participate in various transformational learning opportunities including international travel, community-based internships, faculty and student-initiated research, and other similarly enriching experiences.
UNF's faculty is composed of over 500 teachers and scholars who are focused on the education of the UNF student. As such, these faculty members help students build a foundation for life-long learning. Through their own scholarship and creative work, UNF faculty members remain engaged with the larger academic community. This scholarship informs the faculty's teaching. Often the faculty's research addresses local and regional concerns. Student participation in this research adds to the depth of their educational experiences.
Members of UNF's faculty have been recipients of Fulbright awards and earned regional and national recognition in their professional fields. UNF faculty have received their academic degrees from over 110 American and foreign universities. Through participation in the governance processes of their respective colleges and the UNF Faculty Association, they exercise responsibility for the University's academic programs.
UNF carries out its public responsibility by providing significant opportunity for civic engagement and community-based learning. The University's relevance to the community is evidenced in the the institution's myriad of contributions to the betterment of the region it serves.
Support Services
In addition to its strong academic programs, UNF offers its students an array of support services and student-life activities. Various support services help ensure that students maintain uninterrupted university attendance, make suitable course selections, successfully complete degree requirements, and achieve timely graduation or successful accomplishment of other academically related career goals. Student-life activities contribute to academic, social, cultural and personal development.
Campus
Designated as a bird sanctuary, UNF's campus is located seven miles from the Atlantic Ocean and twelve miles southeast of downtown Jacksonville. It is situated on over 1,300 acres of wooded ridges, interspersed with small lakes and small streams.
Taking advantage of its natural ecosystems, the campus offers students, employees and visitors a series of nature trails that cross virtually every type of terrain found in northeast Florida and showcases an amazing diversity of animal and plant life. One of these trails was designed for use by individuals with disabilites.
Serving as a point of pride for the University, the natural environment on the campus provides opportunities for faculty and student research. As the University continues to expand its academic and nonacademic facilities, it has pledged to use ecologically responsible technologies to protect the quality of the campus environment.
The core of the campus is relatively compact, with most of the academic buildings connected by a two-story, covered, pedestrian walkway. Parking areas surround the campus, with a shuttle service providing easy transportation from the remote lots to university buildings.