Jacksonville University Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==History== The school was founded in 1934 by William J. Porter. Originally known as '''William J. Porter University''', it began as a private two-year college. Since a permanent site had not yet been acquired, classes were held on the third floor auditorium of the [[First Baptist Church (Jacksonville, Florida)|First Baptist Church]] Educational Building in downtown [[Jacksonville]].<ref name=timeline>[http://www.ju.edu/anniversary/timeline.aspx "Timeline"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928140238/http://ju.edu/anniversary/timeline.aspx |date=2010-09-28 }}. www.ju.edu. Retrieved October 20, 2010.</ref> Sixty students were enrolled in Porter University's first year of operation.<ref>[http://www.ju.edu/anniversary/default.aspx "75th Anniversary"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924231316/http://ju.edu/anniversary/default.aspx |date=2010-09-24 }}. www.ju.edu. Retrieved October 20, 2010.</ref> The school changed its name to '''Jacksonville Junior College''' in 1935. It relocated three times over the next fifteen years, including a period in the [[Florida Theatre]] building, but the influx of [[GI bill]] students following the end of [[World War II]] made it necessary for the school to find a permanent location. In 1947 the administration purchased land in Jacksonville's [[Arlington, Jacksonville, Florida|Arlington]] neighborhood on which to establish the current campus. The first building was completed in 1950 and classes officially began.<ref name=FTU>{{cite news |title= The hidden treasure awaiting excavation|first= Joe|last= Humphrey|newspaper= [[The Florida Times-Union]]|date= September 29, 2000|url= http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/092900/met_4207131.html|access-date= October 20, 2010}}</ref> The same year the school received full accreditation as a two-year college from the [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]] (SACS).<ref name=timeline/> [[Image:SwisherJU64.jpg|thumb|left|[[Swisher Gymnasium]] in 1964]] In 1958 Jacksonville Junior College merged with the [[Jacksonville College of Music]], and the name was changed to '''Jacksonville University'''. In 1959 the first four-year class of 100 students graduated, and in 1961 JU received full accreditation as a four-year school from SACS. The 1960s saw the university grow substantially as enrollment increased, dormitories were built, two new colleges were established and the [[Swisher Gymnasium]] was constructed. The first student dormitories (Williams, McGehee, Brest, Merrill and Grether Halls) opened for the fall semester of 1965 on the south part of campus for a combined total of $2.4 million.<ref name="Williams Hall Expansion">{{cite news |title=JU plans $3 million residence hall renovation |first=Karen |last=Mathis |newspaper=Jacksonville Daily Record |date=November 27, 2017 |url=https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/ju-plans-dollar3-million-residence-hall-renovation |access-date= January 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ju.edu/residentiallife/campusliving/williams.php|title=Back in Williams | Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla}}</ref> The sixth dormitory, Botts Hall, opened in 1968.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://judolphinmedia.com/8087/news/botts-as-a-blank-slate/|title=Botts as a Blank Slate}}</ref> In 1970 the [[Jacksonville University Dolphins]] [[men's basketball]] team, under star [[center (basketball)|center]] [[Artis Gilmore]], went to the [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA Division I Championship]]. However, the opening of the public [[University of North Florida]] in 1972 eroded JU's enrollment, while the removal of public funding hurt the school financially. In the 1990s Jacksonville University reconfigured itself as primarily a [[liberal arts college]] and embarked on a substantial fundraising campaign, which provided for the construction of new buildings and a revision of the campus master plan.<ref name=timeline/><ref name=FTU/> In 1997 a new cafeteria was constructed, a Visual Arts Annex opened, and the on-campus Villages Apartments finished construction and opened for students on the north part of campus. Merrill and Grether Hall were demolished in 2007 to make way for Oak Hall, a modern 500-bed dormitory, and a new parking garage.<ref name="jaxdailyrecord.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/ju-big-projects-dollar125m-in-bonds|title = JU: Big projects, $125M in bonds | Jax Daily Record|date = 8 May 2018}}</ref> George Hallam, in conjunction with Jacksonville University and its library staff, published an extensive history of the university titled ''Our Place in the Sun'', which details the development and progress of the institution between its inception in 1934 through the spring of 1988. Other university publications which have chronicled JU history throughout the decades include the ''JU Navigator'', the ''Riparian'', and ''The Wave'' magazine. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. 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