University of South Florida
In 1956, the Florida Legislature approved the creation of a new state university on land that was once a 5,000-acre temple orange grove and later became the Hillsborough Army Airfield. Former U.S. representative Samuel Gibbons championed the school's establishment, earning him the title "Father of USF." The university officially opened its doors in 1960 with just five buildings: an old library now known as the student services building, a science building currently housing chemistry classes, a teaching auditorium that no longer stands, a university center replaced by the Marshall Student Center, and the administration building named after John S. Allen and his wife Grace. John S. Allen served as the first president from 1956 until his retirement in 1971, overseeing rapid expansion during those years. He famously declared in 1959 that the school would have no sports teams, preferring to place an "Accent on Learning" instead. This stance changed when USF launched its first varsity teams in 1965. The university integrated and admitted its first African-American student, Ernest Boger, in 1961, two years after opening. Boger graduated in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. By 1963, the university held its first graduation ceremony where 325 degrees were conferred.
The University of South Florida evolved from a single campus into a multi-campus system beginning in 1965 when the St. Petersburg location opened as a satellite campus. That site was previously home to the U.S. Navy Maritime Training Center along Bayboro Harbor. In 1970, M. Cecil Mackey became the second president and began strengthening the St. Petersburg campus while also opening new satellite locations in Sarasota and Fort Myers. Mackey coined the term "metropolitan university" to describe USF, a descriptor still used today for colleges in large cities. USF Sarasota-Manatee was founded in 1975 and initially shared a campus with New College of Florida before that institution later became independent again. The university system once included three other member institutions: one in Fort Myers which closed in 1997, one in Lakeland which split off in 2012 to become Florida Polytechnic University, and a second Sarasota campus. In summer 2020, the entire system consolidated into what is now described as "one university geographically distributed." Today the university operates across three distinct campuses: Tampa serving over 41,000 students, St. Petersburg serving approximately 4,500 students per year, and Sarasota-Manatee hosting nearly 2,000 students annually.
USF emerged as a major research institution during the 1980s under third president John Lott Brown who oversaw the establishment of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute on the Tampa campus in 1986. The university became the first in the nation to offer a Ph.D. in applied anthropology and the first in the State University System of Florida to provide a degree program in women's studies. By 2019, USF spent $568 million on research and development, ranking it 43rd nationally and 25th among public universities according to the National Science Foundation. The Intellectual Property Owners Association ranked USF first in Florida, seventh in the United States, and sixteenth worldwide for the number of U.S. patents granted in 2018. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni collectively hold over 2,400 patents. The university is home to both the National Academy of Inventors and the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame located within the USF Research Park on the southwest side of campus. In fiscal year 2021, the university received more than $590 million in research awards. USF Health researchers work across fields including cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, prosthetics, heart health, genomics, and more. The College of Nursing ranks first in Florida for universities receiving research funding from the National Institutes of Health.
The university houses fourteen colleges offering more than 240 undergraduate, graduate, specialist, and doctoral-level degree programs. As of the 2023, 24 academic year, nearly 49,000 students are enrolled including over 36,400 undergraduates and 9,200 graduate students. International students represent approximately 12% of the total student population with representatives from over 140 countries. The student body includes roughly 60% female and 40% male participants. Tuition costs as of the 2024, 25 academic year range from $211.19 per credit hour for in-state undergraduates to $611.39 for out-of-state and international students. The university maintains a student-to-faculty ratio of 22:1 with approximately 86 percent of full-time faculty holding the highest degree in their field. Over 15,000 instructional faculty members teach across the institution alongside more than 1,500 adjunct professors and 300 post-doctoral scholars. The campus provides multiple services through the Division of Student Affairs including on-campus housing for more than 6,500 students, dining facilities, recreational outlets, health and wellness services, and involvement opportunities. There are 600 registered student organizations covering academic, professional, special interest, Greek, and multicultural groups.
USF's sports teams known as the South Florida Bulls primarily compete in the American Conference of NCAA Division I. The university has won a combined six national championships and 171 conference championships across its 21 varsity teams. Athletes representing the Bulls have secured an additional 24 individual and relay national championships plus 256 individual and relay conference titles. Since 1995, the university lights its iconic water tower green following any victory by Bulls sports teams to signal success to the campus and surrounding area. The school also illuminates the water tower green for special events like homecoming and commencement ceremonies. A total of nine life-size bronze bull statues stand across the three campuses with one located on St. Petersburg, another on Sarasota-Manatee, and seven distributed throughout Tampa. These statues represent the four years a student spends in college with the topiary bull symbolizing senior year growth. The university maintains nearly 20,000 trees on the Tampa campus alone creating a unique tree motif where most streets and dorms bear names after various species. Homecoming festivities began in 1964 featuring comedy shows, balls, concerts, parades, and carnivals leading up to football games. The Bull Market operates weekly outside the Marshall Student Center hosting vendors, student organizations, and non-profits showcasing products and services.
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Common questions
When was the University of South Florida officially opened?
The university officially opened its doors in 1960 with just five buildings. The institution began operations on land that was once a 5,000-acre temple orange grove and later became the Hillsborough Army Airfield.
Who is considered the Father of USF and when did he serve as president?
Former U.S. representative Samuel Gibbons championed the school's establishment and earned him the title Father of USF. John S. Allen served as the first president from 1956 until his retirement in 1971.
How many campuses does the University of South Florida operate today?
Today the university operates across three distinct campuses including Tampa serving over 41,000 students, St. Petersburg serving approximately 4,500 students per year, and Sarasota-Manatee hosting nearly 2,000 students annually. The entire system consolidated into what is now described as one university geographically distributed in summer 2020.
What research achievements has the University of South Florida accomplished since the 1980s?
USF emerged as a major research institution during the 1980s under third president John Lott Brown who oversaw the establishment of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute on the Tampa campus in 1986. By 2019, USF spent $568 million on research and development ranking it 43rd nationally and 25th among public universities according to the National Science Foundation.
When did the University of South Florida admit its first African-American student?
The university integrated and admitted its first African-American student Ernest Boger in 1961 two years after opening. Boger graduated in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.