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The ³ÉÈË´óƬ celebrated the newly named Silverfield College of Education and Human Services, announced a 100 percent experiential learning guarantee for incoming students, hit record student retention levels and continued groundbreaking research during the 2024-25 school year. 

It was another year filled with innovation and excellence and record-breaking achievements, demonstrating UNF’s impact on the lives of its students, faculty and staff, alumni, business partners and the Northeast Florida community. 

Here are highlights from the year: 

STUDENT SUCCESS 

• Experiential learning: ³ÉÈË´óƬguarantees experiential learning for all incoming students. Learn more. 
• Retention: UNF’s first-year retention rate hits record levels, up more than 5 percentage points since 2022.  Learn more. 
• Career Week: More than 1,600 students and alumni attended UNF’s Career Week with a lineup of more than 340 employers. Learn more.    

CAMPUS UPDGRADES 

• Silverfield: ³ÉÈË´óƬcelebrated the newly named Silverfield College of Education and Human Services, following a transformational gift from Silverfield family. Learn more. 
• Esports: The City of Jacksonville approved $3 million in support for The Flight Deck, UNF’s innovation arena where technology and learning converge. Learn more. 
• New Dorm: Work is being finalized on a new Honors Residence Hall, which opens this summer and provides about 520 beds for students. It will include a living-learning community for honors students. Learn more.  
• Coggin: ³ÉÈË´óƬbroke ground on the extension and updates to the Coggin College of Business, which will provide more classrooms, research labs, offices, conference rooms and study spaces. Learn more. 

BUSINESS COLLABORATIONS 

• VyStar: ³ÉÈË´óƬstudents recently collaborated with VyStar Credit Union to develop marketing plans for the VyStar Orlando Magic co-branded debit and Visa® credit cards that were recently launched.  Learn more. 
• Miller and JEA: ³ÉÈË´óƬjoins forces with JEA and Miller Electric to develop workforce training that builds future skilled leaders and professionals in the clean energy sector.  Learn more. 
• Mayo Clinic: A ³ÉÈË´óƬgraduate and Mayo Clinic engineer creates opportunities for students to conduct 3D materials science research. Learn more.  
• JAXPORT: ³ÉÈË´óƬstudents gain real-world experience helping JAXPORT improve traffic flow and tenant operations. Learn more.  
• HCA: ³ÉÈË´óƬMedNexus and HCA Healthcare partnership offers students a pathway to success. Learn more.  

COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND ENGAGEMENT 

• Giving Day: UNF’s 2025 annual Giving Day raised $2,407,024 from 4,513 donors, marking UNF’s largest single day of fundraising. Learn more. 
• Civil Discourse: The ³ÉÈË´óƬOffice of Public Policy Events continued its series of discussions and debates, with conversations this year about clean energy, social media regulation, Supreme Court ethics and immigration. Watch the discussion. 
• TEDxJacksonville: ³ÉÈË´óƬhosted TEDxJacksonville’s “The Overlap,” which included national and local thought leaders talking about a variety of topics. The event was open to the public. Learn more. 

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 

• Coastal Resilience: National Park Service awards ³ÉÈË´óƬgrant to significantly expand Florida and Georgia coastline restoration efforts. Learn more.  
• Muscle Atrophy: Biological sciences professor receives NIH grant to study muscle atrophy. Learn more.  
• Sports Safety: Engineering students develop groundbreaking technology to detect traumatic brain injuries in sports. Learn more.  
• Dark Matter: Researchers awarded NSF grant to advance dark matter detection. Learn more.  
• AI: ³ÉÈË´óƬfirst in U.S. to enter international consortium on AI and logistics solutions. Learn more.  

RANKINGS 

• ³ÉÈË´óƬlanded for the sixth consecutive year on U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Colleges list.  Learn more. 
• Wall Street Journal ranks ³ÉÈË´óƬamong Best Colleges in the U.S. to set graduates up for financial success. Learn more. 
• ³ÉÈË´óƬwas ranked among the nation’s “Best Online Programs” in 2025 by U.S. News & World Report. Learn more.  
• CEO Magazine ranks ³ÉÈË´óƬamong 2025 Best Global MBA Programs. Learn more. 
• ³ÉÈË´óƬranks among U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Graduate Schools Learn more. 
• ³ÉÈË´óƬearns 2025-26 Military Friendly School designation for 16th consecutive year. Learn more. 

During the Summer 2024, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 commencement ceremonies, ³ÉÈË´óƬcelebrated 4,140 students earning their diplomas, bringing the total Osprey alumni membership to 115,798.