Wave Magazine Online Jacksonville University News Hub
Jacksonville University has been re-accredited in good standing for the next decade by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, further solidifying its top-tier status among private Southeast universities.
The rigorous assessment involved extensive work by administrative officers, faculty, students, Trustees and staff, and included comprehensive reaffirmation research and reporting, off-site reviews, on-site visits and a final review and acceptance by the Commission on Colleges of SACS.
“This is a demanding exercise that brings important validation of our mission and values, and I’m very proud of the vast increase in quality of the University determined by the experts at SACS during this multi-year process,” said JU President Tim Cost.
The decision means the Southeast’s most prominent quality-assurance body has sanctioned JU to continue awarding bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, after JU again proved the worth of its educational mission, integrity of its academic programs and effectiveness, strength of faculty, depth of student support and health of its finances.
Under President Cost’s leadership, there has been a sharp focus on students and their outcomes, as well as a priority on high-performing faculty and programs at JU, whose student body now exceeds 4,000, its largest in many years.
Among important developments in recent months, JU gained a top 1% rank among all Florida colleges for “Return on Investment” for its graduates, made a 10th straight appearance as one of “America’s Best Colleges,” won more than $1.2 million in Nursing and other research grants and broke ground on its new College of Health Sciences building. In addition, the JU Public Policy Institute hosted the region’s premier Healthcare Policy Conference, the first undergraduate classes in Speech-Language Pathology began, and a new floating dock was installed at the JU Marine Science Research Institute for its innovative, state-of-the-art floating classroom.
“These positive steps are all about improving the social, cultural and learning experience for our students and faculty, and much more is to come. We are becoming a better University,” Cost said.
JU Math Prof. Pam Crawford directed the Reaffirmation Report efforts, with assistance from Dr. Bill Crosby, JU Chief Academic Officer; Dr. Karen Jackson, Chair of JU’s Quality Enhancement Plan; and many other faculty, students and staff.
“I’m very pleased that all of the hard work has paid off,” Crawford said. “This is a helpful self-evaluation, and at the end of it we come out a better institution.”
Crosby also praised the efforts of those involved in the reaffirmation process.
“This indicates that JU continues to have excellent programs and remains in compliance,” he said. “It’s a strong measure of our quality.”
Media contact: Phillip Milano, JU Director of News and Publications, pmilano@ju.edu, (904) 256-7042.
About Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University works to prepare each of its more than 4,000 students for lifelong success in learning, achieving, leading and serving. Its nearly 200-acre riverfront campus is just minutes from downtown Jacksonville and the Atlantic Ocean. It has been named one of “America’s Best Colleges” for 10 straight years, and ranks in the top 1% among all Florida colleges for Return on Investment for its graduates. With a 12 to 1 student-faculty ratio and full-time faculty percentage of 80 percent, it offers small class sizes, inviting campus grounds and engaged faculty and staff in a setting that promotes community, ambition and responsibility. JU has nearly 190 full-time faculty and offers more than 70 majors, programs and concentrations. Additionally, it offers graduate degrees in business, choreography, education leadership, marine science, mathematics, nursing and orthodontics. JU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) and Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).