State of the University April 12, 2018

April 12, 2018

Greetings to our Jacksonville University Community —

As we celebrate this week, both our founding (April 16, 1934) and our dedication to serving and improving our community (Charter Week), please take a moment to embrace your work and its impact.

In the same amount of time it takes one of our ambitious first-year students to become a graduating senior and step into a career or graduate school, you have created a most promising renaissance at Jacksonville University. With my gratitude for your hard work, creativity, and partnership, here's a sampling of what we, together, have accomplished these past five years:

Together, we…

• Increased our full-time faculty from 186 to 227 dedicated educators,
• Added more than three dozen new areas of study,
• Built the River House, North Hall, Nelms Plaza, DuPont Plaza, and our Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences building,
• Created a School of Applied Health Sciences,
• Established the Florida EPIC (Entrepreneurism, Policy, Innovation & Commerce) Program with the State of Florida,
• Graduated the first Masters in Public Policy students in the history of Florida,
• Successfully managed the ASPIRE campaign to its $120 million goal,
• Established Chick-fil-A and Starbucks as go-to mainstays on campus,
• Established the unique OCEARCH partnership at Jacksonville University,
• Launched our comprehensive Healthy Campus initiative, including J-Bike and our commitment to a smoke-free campus,
• Founded the President's Parents Council, Circle of Green & Gold, Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD), and the President’s Leadership Advisory Council,
• Created a first-in-the-nation scholarship agreement with Children of Fallen Patriots and a groundbreaking partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Jacksonville,
• Sent a contingent of outstanding student vocalists to perform for the Pope at the Vatican,
• Announced our working partnership with Dolphin Pointe Landing,
• Established the Renew Arlington community redevelopment effort,
• Upgraded JU Athletics venues for basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, football, baseball, soccer, and softball,
• Transformed Terry Concert Hall into a premier performance space,
• Established Jacksonville University Downtown and our online learning center,
• Created the Defender's Den for our JU military community,
• Conducted our first-ever Economic Impact Study measuring JU's regional impact at nearly $300 million,
• And graduated more than 7,500 outstanding, hard-working individuals from all 50 states and dozens of countries around the world… to name a few of our advances.

The best part — we are truly just getting started.

As we look back on recent years, there are so many developments that are most revealing and that best express our unique brand of Jacksonville University culture and spirit.

For example, volunteer hours — did you know that the JU family, together, has worked an average 30,000 volunteer hours per year over the past four years? Did you know that the average GPA of incoming high school seniors has risen above 3.6? Or that our admission of international students has increased four-fold and our Keigwin School of Nursing state exam pass rate is at 100 percent?

We are home to the National Champions of financial analysis, and nationally ranked in sailing, shooting clays, and more. Graduation and retention rates are rising, more and better students are selecting us, and our graduates are getting where they want to be.

Here's another important fact about us — this month marks our 84th proud year as an institution, and upon that incredible foundation, we have built, together, what I consider one of the most vastly improving universities of our type in the U.S.

That wouldn't be a reality today if not for those who have blazed trails before us and those who are here now inspiring and working tirelessly on behalf of JU and our students. I've said it before and will say it again — we recognize and appreciate your extraordinary dedication to the outcomes of our students.

Thank you for making Jacksonville University a thoughtful, welcoming, and fearless place to learn. Here’s to our next five years together!

With gratitude,

Tim Cost
President
Jacksonville University
Class of 1981