University of Florida Board of Trustees to select site for Jacksonville graduate school

The University of Florida’s Board of Trustees could make a long-awaited decision this week on a site for a planned graduate school in Jacksonville’s downtown area.

The University of Florida and the city of Jacksonville have been negotiating for the past two years for the university to establish a graduate school in Jacksonville that would be funded by a combination of state, city and private funds.

When the University of Florida Board of Trustees meets for two days starting Thursday, the board’s Governance, Government Relations and Internal Affairs Committee will vote to make recommendations to the full board for a final vote on the website the next day.

“Through productive discussions between the university and the city of Jacksonville, the parties have identified what they believe to be the most ideal site for the university’s Jacksonville campus,” a description of the committee agenda action item said.

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“The university and the city are ready to immediately begin the work required to complete the transportation of the site,” the description states.

The site is not identified on the board agenda packet. In the past, sites considered were the LaVilla area of ​​downtown and the sports center at the current site of the Jacksonville Fairgrounds.

The University of Florida-Jacksonville prospect has locked in $250 million in funding, with $150 million coming from the state, $50 million from the city of Jacksonville and $50 million from private donors.

The University of Florida already has a long-standing presence in Jacksonville through UF Health Jacksonville and its teaching hospitals affiliated with the UF Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.

This article originally appeared in The Florida Times-Union: University of Florida Board of Trustees to select Jacksonville graduate campus site