History
| Thomas G. Carpenter | 1969–1980 |
| Andrew Robinson (interim) | 1980–1982 |
| Curtis L. McCray | 1982–1988 |
| Roy E. McTarnaghan (interim) | 1988–1989 |
| Adam W. Herbert | 1989–1998 |
| E. K. Fretwell (interim) | 1998–1999 |
| Anne H. Hopkins | 1999–2002 |
| A. David Kline (interim) | 2002–2003 |
| John A. Delaney | 2003–2018 |
| David Szymanski | 2018–2021 |
| Pamela S. Chally (interim) | 2021–2022 |
| Moez Limayem | 2022-Present |
The university was founded in 1969 after 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) midway between downtown Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Beaches were set aside for the campus, 500 acres (2.0 km2) of which were donated by the Skinner family of Jacksonville.[11] Until this time, the only publicly funded institution of higher learning in the city was Florida Junior College.
Construction on classrooms and buildings began in 1971 and UNF opened in the fall of 1972 with an initial enrollment of 2,027 juniors, seniors and graduate students, supported by 117 faculty and more than 150 staff.[12] Originally, like the other Florida state institutions opened around this time, UNF was designated as a “senior” college, meaning it would enroll only upperclassmen and graduate students.
UNF graduated 35 students in 1973. The school was quick to expand and it was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1974. The school’s mascot, the osprey, was adopted in November 1979 over other choices such as the armadillo, the manatee and the seagull. The male and female versions of the mascot are known as Ozzie and Harriet.
In 1980, there was a legislative effort to merge UNF with the University of Florida but a bill proposing this was vetoed by Governor Bob Graham. Freshmen and sophomores were admitted for the first time in 1984. Enrollment at UNF exceeded 10,000 in 1995, and in the spring of 2000 it broke its commencement record, graduating over 1,000 students.
The 2000s saw significant development on campus as many new buildings including the Social Science building, Science and Engineering building, College of Education and Human Services building, Fine Arts Center, the John A. Delaney Student Union, and Osprey Fountains residence hall were built. In 2002, a 13-member Board of Trustees began work to oversee UNF. Former mayor of Jacksonville John Delaney was appointed President of the university in 2003.
UNF was officially reclassified as an NCAA Division I school for its athletics programs in 2009.