UF to build new graduate campus in Jacksonville

UF President Ben Sasse and other UF officials announced a plan Tuesday morning in Jacksonville for a new graduate campus there specializing in medicine, business and engineering.

Mori Hosseini, chairman of the UF Board of Trustees, cited Jacksonville’s growing tech economy and large area as key factors in partnering with the city. The new campus is an effort to keep talented people working in Florida, he said.

“We’re excited to grow our historic partnership with Jacksonville through exploring what we envision as a new campus designed for the strengths of this unique city,” Hosseini said.

Sasse and Hosseini were joined by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Patrick Zalupski, a newly appointed UF trustee and co-founder of Dream Finders Homes.

Curry will propose a $50 million investment from the Jacksonville City Council, and UF will contribute another $50 million in private funding for the project, according to a UF News press release.

Sasse said his remarks were brief because he’s new to Florida.

If anything, he was most familiar with Jacksonville’s football team, he said. Although the new campus is in the works, Sasse said there are still details that need to be worked out.

“UF is Florida’s flagship university and we’ve got a special calling to serve Floridians,” Sasse said. “We have a lot to discover and to learn together, but there’s real potential for UF to add to Florida’s skilled workforce, attract new private investment and support existing growth industries.”

UF will work with the University of North Florida, Jacksonville University and Florida State College at Jacksonville to complete the project, Hosseini said.

UF is simultaneously planning another graduate campus in downtown West Palm Beach, which was announced in September 2021.