During my first tour of Jacksonville University in February 2017, I met President Tom Cost*. After hearing from him about his plans for the University and its future, I thought that Jacksonville University was a special place; since then, I have enthusiastically recommended it to many of my students.
Some of JU’s highlights
· It is located on the St John River and boasts a lovely beach where students can sit to unwind or study.
· The city of Jacksonville is a very eclectic, big town center with many new developments, and is a stone’s throw away from the university. It has the largest landmass in the entire nation and is the most populous city in Florida. Students are provided lots of opportunities at many of the major companies located there. More on this below.
More on the City of Jacksonville
Businesses headquartered or located in Jacksonville
· FIS-Fidelity Information Services
· Fidelity National Financial, Inc.
· Stein Mart
· Florida Blue
· Gate Petroleum
· UF Health Jacksonville
· Unison Industries
· Baptist Health (collaborates with JU-accelerated 12-month nursing program)
· Deutsche Bank
· Citibank
· Black Knight
· VyStar Credit Union
· Bubba Burger
· ServiceLink
· Fanatics, Inc.
· Jacksonville Jaguars
· Mayo Clinic
· Southeastern Grocers
· Winn-Dixie
Entertainment in Jacksonville
· Florida Times-Union Center for Performing Arts hosts Broadway hits and is a forum for a Speaker Series
· TIAA Bank Field is the sports complex for the Jacksonville Jaguars football and baseball farm team, Jumbo Shrimps
· VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena with minor league basketball, hockey, and is host to other events, and a concert venue.
Other Interesting Tidbits
· There are 22 miles of beaches in Jacksonville.
· The beach is 20 minutes away from JU
· There is an average of 221 sunny days per year
· There are many student opportunities at the Players Championship - PGA tournament.
· And a golf course located two miles from campus
· There are many Art Museums and Gardens
· Jacksonville is considered a very artsy city
· JU is about 10 minutes from the downtown Jacksonville city center
· Some JU senior students live in the downtown area
· Jacksonville, FL is ranked 22 in best places to live – U.S. News & World Report
· St Augustine 45 minutes south of Jacksonville
· Amelia Island 45 minutes north of Jacksonville
More Jacksonville University Highlights
· The JU campus is often referred to as Jurassic Park because of its topography, and trails
· It has 450 health care partnerships
· It was named one of the “Best Colleges” in the South-U.S. News & World Report
· It offers over 100 clubs & organizations
The Sports Scene
· There are approximately 500 student-athletes
· Around 70% of the athletes are from out of state
· There is lots of academic support for student-athletes
· The average athlete GPA is 3.4
· Students can stack aid and scholarships
· There are 19 Division One sports teams, which include shooting and sailing
· There is a beautiful Boathouse on campus
· The basketball team does very well and has given JU lots of notoriety
JU’s Campus Life
· There is a three-year residency requirement
· JU offers apartment buildings for seniors, located on the campus
· Seniors get priority for housing
· Students stay on campus during the weekends
· Sororities and Fraternities have their own building which houses the Greek community.
· There are 43% Greek students in four sororities, three fraternities, and five multicultural organizations
Student Population
· Enrollment for undergraduate students: 2771
· Enrollment for graduate students: 1283
· Total Enrollment: 4054
· Student Faculty Ratio: 11:1
· 50% of the students are students of color
· 50% of the students are from out of state
· There are 47 States represented, but no one from Wyoming
· 50% of the students are from Florida
· There are over 50 countries are represented
Study Abroad
· JU has a partnership with Sorrento, Italy which offers dorms and classes available, and all credits are accepted
Academics
· Jacksonville University offers more than 100 majors, minors, and pre-professional programs in four colleges of Arts & Sciences, Business, Fine Arts, and Health Sciences.
· You’ll find a rigorous Honors Program, study abroad opportunities, 19 NCAA Division I and intramural teams, and hands-on learning experiences inside and outside of the classroom.
· At JU, students customize their path
· Dive into your future at JU
JU’s Four Colleges
· Arts & Sciences
· Business
· Fine Arts
· Healthcare Sciences
College of Arts & Sciences
School of Social Sciences & Education
· Education for Instruction
· Environmental Planning
· History
· Political Science
· Psychology
· Social Sciences
· Sociology
· Sustainability
School of Sciences & Mathematics
· Actuarial Science
· Biochemistry
· Biology
· Chemistry
· Marine Science
· Mathematics
School of Engineering & Technology
· Computing Science
· Cybersecurity
· Electrical Engineering
· Engineering Physics
· Mechanical Engineering
Linda Berry Stein College of Fine Arts
· The study of theatre is vital to the liberal arts component of university education. The study of theatre enhances communications skills, creative and critical thinking, cultural awareness, and broadens a student's knowledge of literature and history.
· Music programs-originally started as a Music School and is accredited
· Large and plentiful performance areas and buildings
· 150k space for all arts-very comprehensive
· Audition based music/dance/theater, but will allow virtual auditions
· Auditions is done first, so can be admitted to JU
· If not admitted to a program, students can repeat an audition once at JU
· Dance is the most competitive program-16% admit
· In Jacksonville, there is a fully professional orchestra, dance, theater, and ballet programs as well.
· Visual Arts don’t need to submit a portfolio
· It is suggested that prospective students interact with faculty well before auditions-maybe in junior year.
· Portfolio views are optional, but for scholarships-must have a portfolio
· Glass studio will celebrate 59 years as a program next year
School of Performing Arts
· Dance
· Jazz
· Music
· Music Education
· Music Industry & Technology
· Music Theatre
· Theatre Arts
School of Art & Design
· Animation
· Art
· Art History
· Ceramics
· Film
· Glass
· Illustration
· Photography
· Sculpture
· Visual Design
School of Humanities
· English
· French
· Philosophy
· Spanish
· World Languages & Culture
Marine Sciences
· Research institute
· There is a new JU partnership with shark hunters
· JU offers a floating classroom on a 48-foot boat
Davis College of Business
· Accounting
· Aviation Management
· Aviation Management ad Flight Operations
· Business Administration
· Business Analytics
· Business Information Systems
· Consumer Goods and Service Marketing
· Economics
· Entrepreneurship Certificate
· Finance
· International Business
· Management
· Marketing
· Professional Sales
· Sport Business
School of Aviation & Military Sciences
· Aviation Management
· Classroom to the cockpit in 3.5 Years
· 1 of 13 Delta Propel Universities
· 260K Pilots needed by the year 2029
· 32 years of existence
· Aviation Management and Flight Operation-can fly 1st semester and the airport is located 30 minutes away at the airport
· Flight fees: Four-year period all ratings $70/85K
· Military Tracks
· Two Airplane Simulators
· Aviation has its own tutoring program
· Basic math requirements and students have to take an aviation physics-physics in high school is not required, but recommended
· Students are up in airplanes three times per week.
· 100% of students have jobs-flight instructors or regional fliers
· Deltas Propel Program
· JetBlue Gateway Program
· Republic Program
o Students apply junior and senior year and if selected, get a conditional job offer
o The program hosts a career expo with major airlines and the airlines come to the ‘major’ career expo too
· There are aviation scholarships
· Accredited by the major aviation accreditation-AABI
· Freshmen get in planes during the 2nd week of school
· There are flight uniforms for all students
Brooks College of Healthcare Sciences
Health Center
· Health center is brand new.
· Students pay a health and wellness fee
· The staff follow up with students to make sure they follow through with health care
Orthodontics
· 14 dental chairs
· Dental students come to educate themselves on orthodontics after dental school -The public is welcome as well.
· Reduced fee by about 60%
Partners & Supporters
· Baptist Health
· Cascone Family Foundation
· Florida Blue
· Jack & Beverly Keigwin
· Memorial Hospital
Nursing
· There are skills laboratories to learn skills as well as be assessed
· Anatomage tables with cadavers
· Three different programs
· Traditional-four year
· 18-month for those students who already have a degree
· 12-month with only two weeks off and already have a degree
· 1st semester, sophomore year is in the immersive lab situations
· Robot is the simulation assistant-may provide medical orders or will share medical history with them.
· Robots are used in hospitals-can collaborate with other doctors from different areas.
Pre-nursing program
· There are 50 spots in each class
· Students apply and if you are doing well freshmen year, guaranteed for Nursing program in sophomore year
· Seven prerequisite high school courses
· Average GPA 3.5
· Average SAT-1180
· Average ACT-24
· Should have a B in Algebra, Chemistry, and Biology to get into the program
· NCLEX-93% and in the past, it was 100%
· Have a free NCLEX test tutoring for all students
STEAM Institute (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics)-teaching innovation
· Technology and engineering and arts are infused
· Creative, design, and critical thinking
· Human-centered solutions understaffing culture and using empathy
· Create spaces for students to work in
· Financial Tech lab
Business
· Business Analytics
· Communications
· Finance
Computer Science
· Computer Science
· Cyber Security
Engineering
· Electrical Engineering
· Mechanical Engineering
Mathematics
· Data Science
Media Arts
· Animation
· Film
· Game Design
· Visual Design
Visual Arts
· Illustration
· Photography
· Object Design
Companies interacting with JU STEAM
· Johnson and Johnson’s
· Medtronic’s
· FIS
· Data Sciences/Cyber security
POD-Pathways of Distinction
Create the Future you imagine. Explore the options, Customize Your Path
· Jacksonville University offers you the freedom to pursue your passions and the flexibility to customize your education. Use this app as inspiration to create your unique degree program by pairing one or more majors and/or minors to discover your academic and future career pathways. Start by selecting your status. Then, select up to two Areas of Interest and provide your email before clicking the Next button to continue.
· With PODs: Students look for the Area of Interest
o Majors and Minors
o Career Options
o Course Requirements
Admissions- Is Jacksonville a good fit for you?
· admissions@ju.edu/904.256.7000
· Student Profile of incoming freshmen
· 3.61 average GPA
· 1050-1230 average SAT
· 21-27 average ACT
· After a complete application has been submitted to the Office of Admissions, the application will be under review for 2-3 weeks. Once a final decision has been made, a notification will be sent by the Office of Admissions through an official decision letter and email.
· Jacksonville University is test-optional for most programs. Students are only required to submit SAT and/or ACT scores to be considered for our Grad2Grad and Freshman Nursing Program. Visit our FAQ page for more information about self-reported test scores and official test scores. ju.edu/admissions/undergraduate/faq.php
*Tim Cost became Jacksonville University’s 12th President in 2013, coming full circle from his time spent at the school decades earlier as a student-athlete. President Cost is the first alumnus to serve as President of JU in its 85-year history. President Cost is a 1981 Magna Cum Laude Jacksonville University graduate, who received his MBA in Finance and Economics from the William E. Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester, and is a graduate of Harvard University’s Presidential Seminar. As a collegiate athlete and four-year letterman on the JU baseball team, he is one of the top 10 winningest pitchers in JU Baseball and, as a freshman in his first NCAA appearance, pitched the only 9-inning no-hitter in JU history.
Since the days of baseball and business degrees, President Cost has invested more than 30 years on senior management teams at several of the world’s largest and best-known institutions, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kodak, ARAMARK, Pharmacia, Wyeth/Pfizer, and Centocor/Johnson & Johnson, as well as his past service as Chairman of Global Health Care for Washington-based consulting firm, APCO Worldwide. Each role helped refine his approach to leadership, capitalizing on the strengths of diverse teams to maximize talent, trust, connections, and performance. President Cost is committed to helping mentor young talent and likes to explain that process as "inspiring the good to be great."
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