Patrick Zalupski, UF President Ben Sasse, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, UF Chair Mori Hosseini and Dr. David Nelson.
University of Florida and city leaders today committed to a partnership to explore creating a new graduate campus in Jacksonville focused on the introduction of innovative programs in medicine, business and engineering.
The potential project would build on UF’s and Jacksonville’s long-standing connections in health care, providing new graduate education programs aimed at supporting the region’s growing workforce needs in biomedical technology and focused on pioneering technology related to simulation, health applications of artificial intelligence, patient quality and safety, health care administration and fintech.
“Jacksonville has become a leader in both fintech and health care innovation. We have a robust network of Fortune 500 Companies and cutting-edge health facilities, like UF Health, Wolfson’s Children Hospital and the Ackerman Cancer Institutes,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said. “We are excited about the possibility of hosting this University of Florida expansion to foster opportunity, a talent pipeline, and further grow our region’s industry.”
Curry invited UF to expand its presence in Jacksonville, which currently is grounded in UF Health Jacksonville. As a part of the next steps in this partnership, he will bring a three-year, $50 million proposal to the Jacksonville City Council. UF and community leaders will seek an additional $50 million in private support.
“We’re excited to grow our historic partnership with Jacksonville through exploring what we envision as a new campus designed for the strengths of this unique city,” said Mori Hosseini, chair of the UF Board of Trustees. “We’re confident we can create incredible synergies by joining UF’s strengths as a top-five public flagship university with Jacksonville’s rising stature as national health care and technology hub.”
Although UF has had long-standing specialty and subspecialty graduate medical education programs at the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville, the plans call for bringing revolutionary approaches to training the health care professionals of tomorrow to the local Jacksonville area, including a regional UF Health campus.
Next steps include UF and city of Jacksonville officials working with Jacksonville’s education, business, medical and community leaders to determine the most critical academic needs and opportunities for the regional workforce.
“UF is Florida’s flagship university and we’ve got a special calling to serve Floridians,” said UF President Ben Sasse. “We have a lot to discover and to learn together, but there’s real potential for UF to add to Florida’s skilled workforce, attract new private investment and support existing growth industries. Jacksonville’s doing some impressive things and it’s exciting time for Gator Nation.”