The University of Florida was founded in 1853. It was originally named the East Florida Seminary, and it was located in Ocala. In 1856, it moved to Gainesville, where it became known as the University of Florida.
The school’s first president was Andrew Sledd. He served until 1858, when he was replaced by James Patton Anderson. That same year, the name of the school changed to Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Florida (AMC).
In 1905, the state legislature approved a bill that would change the name of AMC to simply University of Florida (UF). The school’s name has changed several times over the years because it happened to be a relatively common phrase at that time. Today, UF is one of only two state universities with a single name — University of Alabama is the other.
The university is one of the largest universities in the United States. The campus has more than 50,000 students and over 200 buildings on a 1,300 acre campus. The university has been ranked as one of America’s top fifty public universities since 2006. It is also known for its research capabilities. In 2012, UF received
398 million for research funding from federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and NASA.
