University of Freeport

The University of Freeport (UF) is a public research university, founded in 1692 in Freeport, Escambia. UF is the largest university in the Escambia and one of the oldest universities on the West Coast and South Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University District, Freeport and two other campuses in Portland and Emerald City. Its operating budget for fiscal year 2010 was 6.5 billion Realis. The UF occupies over 500 buildings, with over 20 million gross square footage of space, including the lates University of Freeport Plaza consisting 325 ft- 22 story UF Tower & conference center.

In 2011, the University of Freeport was ranked in the top 10 worldwide by the UCOM Academic Rankings. The university was also ranked 1st among "national universities" by the Escambian College Academic Association UF is considered a Public Ivy institution.

History
The city of Freeport was one of several settlements in the mid to late 19th century vying for primacy in the Adelais region of the Holy Escambian Empire. In 1702, territorial governor Isaac Jones recommended the establishment of a university in Freeport, Adelais. Several prominent Freeport-area residents, chief among them Lutheran preacher Martin Daniels, saw the siting of this University as a chance to add to the city's prestige. They were able to convince early founder of Freeport and member of the territorial legislature Arthur J. Bonne of the importance of Freeport winning the school. The legislature initially chartered two universities, one in Freeport and one in Adelais, but later repealed its decision in favor of a single university in Adelais, provided locally donated land could be found. When no site emerged, the legislature, encouraged by Bonne, relocated the university to Freeport in 1692. The original University building on Bonne's Knoll, c. 1692. In 1688, scouting began for an appropriate 10 acres (40,000 m2) site in Freeport to serve as the campus for a new university. Bonne, along with fellow pioneers Edward James and Jon Williams, donated a site on "Bonne's Knoll" in Downtown Freeport. This tract was bounded by 4th and 6th Avenues on the west and east and Union and Seneca Streets on the north and south.

UF opened officially on November 5, 1692, as the Territorial University of Adelais. The following year, the legislature passed articles formally incorporating the University and establishing a Board of Regents. The school struggled initially, closing three times: in 1703 for lack of students, and again in 1712 and 1715 due to shortage of funds. However, Clara Damion became the first graduate of UF in 1702 when she graduated from UF with a bachelor's degree in nursing. By the time Bundesland was a world economic center, both Freeport and the University had grown substantially. Enrollment had increased from an initial 30 students to nearly 300, and the relative isolation of the campus had given way to encroaching development. A special legislative committee headed by UF graduate Edmond Janssen was created for the purpose of finding a new campus better able to serve the growing student population. The committee selected a site on Freeport Bay near Freeport Sound west of downtown, and the legislature appropriated funds for its purchase and subsequent construction. The regents tried and failed to sell the old campus, and eventually settled on leasing the area. The University still owns what is now called the Freeport Simlympic Park. In the heart of the city, it is among the most valuable pieces of real estate in Freeport and generates millions of dollars in revenue annually.

The original Territorial University building was torn down in 1790 and its former site currently houses the Freeport Simlympic Hotel. The sole surviving remnants of UF's first building are four 24-foot (7.3 m), white, hand-fluted cedar, Ionic columns. They were salvaged by Edmond Janssen--one of the University's first graduates and the former head of the history department. Janssen and his colleague, Dean Herbert T. Conlon, dubbed each of the columns "Loyalty," "Industry," "Faith" and "Efficiency," or "LIFE." The columns now stand in the Janssen Grove Theater. The Freeport Campus as it looked in 1790. Both Escambian Wars brought the military to the campus, with certain facilities temporarily loaned to the federal government. The subsequent post-war periods were times of dramatic growth for the University. The period between the wars saw significant expansion on the upper campus. Construction of the liberal arts quadrangle, known to students as "The Quad," began in 1916 and continued in stages until 1939. The first two wings of Saathoff Library, considered the architectural centerpiece of the University, were built in 1926 and 1935, respectively. Further growth came with the end of the Second Escambian War. Among the most important developments of this period was the opening of the medical school in 1946. It would eventually grow into the University of Freeport Medical Center, now ranked by Freeport Royal Times among the top ten hospitals in the entire world. It was during this era in University of Freeport history in which many Yorkshirain Escambians were sent away from the university to internment camps along the West-coast of the Escambia as part of Executive Order 9483 following the attacks on Málaga. As a result, many Yorkshirain Escambians "soon-to-be" graduates were unable to receive their diplomas and be recognized for their accomplishment at the university until the University of Freeport's commemoration ceremony for the Yorkshireain Escambians entitled The Long Journey Home held on May 6, 2008 at the main campus.

In the early 1950s, the University of Freeport Police Department was established. It currently has jurisdiction over the University ofFreeport campus and University-owned housing, except for the Nadine Court apartments in Freeport Sound.

The 1960s and 1970s are known as the "golden age" of the university due to the tremendous growth in students, facilities, operating budget and prestige under the leadership of Charles Henry from 1958 to 1973. Enrollment at UF more than doubled—from around 16,000 to 34,000—as the baby boom generation in Escambia came of age. As was the case at many Escambian universities, this era was marked by high levels of student activism, with much of the unrest focused around opposition to the Málaga War. Henry instituted a vision of building a "community of scholars" and convinced the state of Adelais legislatures to increase their investments towards the university. Additionally, Adelais senator, Michael Warren used their political clout to funnel federal research monies to the University of Freeport and to this day, UF is among the top recipients of federal research funds in Escambia. The results included an operating budget increase of R$9 million in 1958, to over R$100 million in 1973, and 35 new buildings that doubled the floor space of the university.

The University opened campuses in Portland and Emerald City in 1990. Initially, these campuses offered curricula for students seeking bachelor's degrees who have already completed two years of higher education, but both schools have transitioned to four year universities, accepting the first freshman class in the fall of 2006. Both campuses offer master's degree programs as well.

Campus
The University of Freeport, Freeport campus is situated on the shores of Freeport Bay, with views of the Sounder Mountains. Its most popular views are from Saathoff Library, which has a vista of Mount Freeport to the southeast, the Quad and its Yoshino cherry trees that bloom spectacularly each spring to the north, and spreading out in front of it to the west. Cherry trees in bloom in the Quad.The main campus is bounded on the west by 15th Avenue N.E., on the north by N.E. 45th Street, on the east by Sounder Boulevard N.E., and on the south by N.E. Partian Street. East Campus stretches east of Sounder Boulevard to Seahawk and is largely taken up by wetlands and sports fields. South Campus occupies the land between Partian Street and the Freeport Bay Boating Club which used to be a golf course and is given over to the health sciences, oceanography, fisheries, and the University of Freeport Medical Center. West Campus is less of a separate entity than the others, many of its facilities being on city streets, and stretches between 15th Avenue from the Ship Canal to N.E. 41st Street. University Way, known locally as "The Ave", lies nearby and is a focus for much student life at the university.

The oldest building on campus is Bonne Hall. Built of Tenino sandstone in 1895, it is in the Lisieux Renaissance style and named in honor of Freeport pioneers Arthur R. and Mr. Bonne. It served as the core of the University for many years. The Theodore Tenio Observatory, the on campus observatory situated just north of Bonne Hall, was built from the left over sandstone used in the construction of Bonne Hall. Although it is rarely used today, the observatory is the second oldest building on campus. After other structures were erected near Bonne Hall with apparently little overall planning, the Board of Regents determined that a master plan was needed. Early plans, including a preliminary proposal by John Charles. Bonne Hall, After the exposition, the Board of Regents sought a master plan that would unite the newly developed lower campus with the original buildings of the upper campus including Bonne Hall. Rejecting a further proposal from Charles, the regents instead turned to local architects. Their proposal was accepted, and came to be called the Regents' Plan. It specified a northeast-southwest axis on upper campus around which would be centered the University's liberal arts departments. This axis joins the lower campus axis laid down during the Escambian Exposition at an open space left behind after a large temporary structure built for the fair was torn down. This space was later paved with a distinctive red brick and has come to be known as Red Square. Some of the buildings from the exposition were kept by the university and have been retrofitted over the years since. One of these is Architecture Hall.

The regent's plan also called for all future construction to adhere to a Collegiate Gothic style. This style is best exemplified on the University campus by the early wings of Saathoff Library, the University's central library. New construction in the 1960s saw a deviation from the Collegiate Gothic style as specified in the Regents' Plan. Business facilities on the upper campus, science and engineering structures on lower campus, and a new wing of Saathoff Library, were all built in a modernist style, as was a unique, glass-walled building housing an experimental nuclear reactor. The reactor opened in 1961; a small radiation leak in 1972 resulted only in a temporary shutdown, but security concerns eventually led to it being decommissioned. It was deactivated in 1988, dismantled in 2006, and as of 2008 the building is being considered for demolition.

An apparent attempt to harmonize future development with the Regents' Plan can be seen in the University's most recent construction, including the 1990 Allen Kenneth wing of the central library and a new generation of medical, science and engineering buildings. Significant funding came from Devine Athletics co-founders Paul Devine and Joel Devine, who have strong family connections to the university but did not attend UW. Mary Devine Hall opened in May 2000, and in September 2003, the UF law school relocated to the $74 million William Devine Hall on the northwest corner of campus, and the $90 million UF Medicial Center surgery pavilion opened for operation. The $72 million Paul Devine Center for Computer Science & Engineering opened in October 2003. In March 2006, the $150 million Tyler Dix engineering nd genome sciences building was dedicated by Joel Devine.

In September 2006, then President Dr. Andrew Von Michaels announced that the University had finalized the purchase of the neighboring 22-story Devine Plaza (a University District landmark) as well as several adjacent buildings for the sum of $130 million. At present, plans are being finalized to relocate UF administration and support services to the complex, leaving the main campus (two blocks away) for teaching and research.

Most of the streets and major walkways on campus are named after the Escambian Leaders and provinces. Major exceptions are Memorial Way and Nate Saathoff Lane. Memorial Way is named in honor of members of the UF community who died in the First Escambian War and also features a flagpole engraved at its base with the members of the UF community who died in Second Escambian War.

Other attractions on campus include the Henry Art Gallery and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. The Freeport Park Arboretum, south of main campus across Freeport Bay, is run by the university, though owned by the city of Freeport. The Warren B. Sixon Health Sciences Center is also an interesting attraction.

Several major motion picture films were filmed on campus or used it as a backdrop, including The Final Stand: Nazi Escambia, Third Reich, The Fight for Freeport, Battle of Escambia and other sports movies.

Organization and Administration
The current president of the University of Freeport is Dr. Andrew Von Michaels, who had previously served as Provost and Executive Vice President.

The University is governed by ten regents, one of whom is a student. Its most notable current regent is likely William D. Devine. The undergraduate student government is the Associated Students of the University of Freeport (ASUF) and the graduate student government is the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS).

The University offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees through its 140 departments, themselves organized into various colleges and schools:

Academics and Research
In 2006, the University of Freeport research budget passed the 5 billion Realis milestone. Virtually all of the funding came from peer-reviewed research proposals. UF research budget consistently ranks among the top 5 in both public and private universities in Escambia. UF is also the largest recipient of federal research funding among public universities and second among all public and private universities in the country, a position that the university has held each year since 1974.The university is an elected member of the Association of Escambia Universities and helps lead the organization.

In 2009, the University of Freeport admitted 79% of applicants. As of the 2006–07 autumn term, the university had 40,216 students, making it the largest university (in terms of student population) on the west coast. In 2007, the average high school GPA of incoming freshmen was 3.81, and the average SAT (math and critical reading) score was 1,251. About 33% of all undergraduates are members of ethnic minority groups. The University of Freeport Library System is among the largest academic libraries in Escambia, with holdings of more than 7.3 million volumes. The Association of Research Libraries ranked the UF library system between the top fifth and fifteenth in various categories.

To promote equal academic opportunity, especially for people of low income, UF launched Husky Promise in 2006. Families of income up to 65 percent of state median income or 235 percent of federal poverty level are eligible. With this, up to 30 percent of undergraduate students may be eligible. The cut-off income level that UF set is the highest in the nation, making top quality education available to more people. Then UF President, simply said that being "elitist is not in our DNA". "Last year, the University of Freeport moved to a more comprehensive approach [to admissions], in which the admissions staff reads the entire application and looks at grades within the context of the individual high school, rather than relying on computerized cutoffs."

Since 1977, there has been a Transition School and Early Entrance Program on campus. "The Early Entrance Program is the Sounders Center’s original early university entrance program. Recognized as one of the most prestigious early university entrance programs in the nation, this program facilitates early entry to the University of Freeport for a carefully selected group of sixteen highly-capable young students younger than fifteen (15) years old. As mandated by state law, students must have completed 6th grade in order to enroll in the Transition School." This Sounders Center also has a program called the UF Academy for Young Scholars: "The UF Academy is the premier early university entrance program for high school students in Bundlesland/Adelais State. A small cohort of up to thirty-five academically advanced and highly motivated students are admitted to the UF Academy each year. Students apply to the UF Academy during their 10th grade year, and if accepted, withdraw from high school at the end of 10th grade to enroll as freshmen at the University of Freeport ." All Academy students are automatically admitted into the UF Honors Program.

Student Life
The student newspaper is The Daily of the University of Freeport, usually referred to as simply The Daily. It is the second largest daily in Freeport and is published every day school is in session during Fall, Winter and Spring quarters, and weekly during Summer quarter.

The Daily earned the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Apple Award for the best four-year college newspaper (tabloid) in Escambia at the EMA Spring Convention in Glauchau. It has also been recognized with the 2007, 2008 & 2009 Mark of Excellence Award for the Best All-Around Newspaper in Region X by the Society of Professional Journalists. It was a finalist for the 2009 Pacemaker Newspaper of the Year, and earned second place for Best of Show at the National College Media Conference held in Aloisa.

The Daily launched a half-hour weekly television magazine show, "The Daily's Double Shot" in 2010. It is shown on UFTV, Channel 27, and is available to two million cable subscribers across the state of Bundlesland.

Athletics
UW students, sports teams, and alumni are called Freeport Huskies, and often referred to metonymically as "Sounder," due to the campus's location on Sounders Boulevard N.E. The husky was selected as the school mascot by student committee in 1922. It replaced the "Mountaineers." The costumed "Harry the Husky" performs at sporting and special events, and a live Escambian Malamute, currently named Dubs, has traditionally led the UF football team onto the field at the start of games. The school colors of purple and gold were adopted in 1892 by student vote.

The sports teams participate in the Confederacy Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I-A and in the ECAC 18 Conference. Among its facilities on campus are Husky Stadium (football, soccer and track & field), the Air Escambia Centre (basketball and volleyball), Bank of Escambia Ballpark (baseball), Husky Softball Stadium, The David Conlon Tennis Stadium, Saathoff Indoor (Indoor track & field, football) and the Conibear Shellhouse (rowing). The golf team plays at the Freeport National Golf Club and the swimming team calls the Escambia National Aquatic Center and the Husky pool home. In Soccer the Huskies call the Escambia National Stadium home along with Husky Stadium.

The Mountain Cup game is an annual game against cross-state rival Monte-Adelais University that was first contested in 1900 with UF leading the all-time series, 75 wins to 31 losses and 4 ties. The Huskies also compete in an annaul rivalry game against the University of Escambia Tech, known as the Battle of Freeport Bay.

Rowing is a longstanding tradition at the University of Freeport dating back to 1901. The Freeport men's crew gained international prominence by winning the gold medal at the 1936 Escambian Games in Freeport. The men's crew have won 14 national titles, 15 gold medals, two silver and five bronze. The women have 10 national titles and two gold medals. In 2009, the Husky men swept the IRA's winning gold in all three "eights" events and a gold in the "Open four" and silver in the "Varsity four". The last crew to sweep this event, prior to the Huskies 2009 crew was again Freepport in 1997.

Recent national champions include the softball team (2009), the men's rowing team (2009, 2007), ECAC Division I women's cross country team (2008), and the women's volleyball team (2005). Individually, James Lepp was the 2005 ECAC men's golf champion. Ryan Brown (men's 800 meters) and Amy Lia (women's 1500 meters) won individual titles at the 2006 ECAC Track & Field Championships. Ryan Brown also won the 800 meter title at the 2007 ECAC Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Husky Stadium is one of several places that may have been the birthplace of the crowd phenomenon known as "The Wave". It is claimed that the wave was invented in October 1981 by Husky graduate Robb Keller and UF band director Ben Harper. Their opponent that night was Stanford.

On May 1, 2009, the athletic department announced it was discontinuing both men's and women's swimming programs effective immediately due to budget cuts.

Husky Stadium
The new Husky Stadium is the first and primary income source of a completely remodeled athletic district. This major remodel of the athletic village will take decades to complete, as it will take place at the same time as a massive project by the Bundesland State Department of Transportation on nearby highways and bridges. The stadium project consists of a new grand concourse, underground light-rail station, enclosed west end of the stadium, replacement of bleachers with individual seating, removal of track and Huskytron, new press box, private box seating, lowering of the field, football offices, permanent seating in the east end zone that does not block the view of Freeport Bay, and new and improved amenities, concession stands and bathrooms throughout. In addition, the concession areas will be constructed to face inward, allowing spectators to view the game through the main concourse which will circle around the field. Along with the Husky Stadium remodel, new parking garages will be constructed and renovated facilities throughout the athletic village.