University of North Florida President John Delaney says the school has long wanted to boost its honors program.
It now has the resources to take that step in a big way.
Longtime supporters Ann and David Hicks donated $7 million to UNF to establish Hicks Honors College, the sixth academic college at the university. It’s the largest gift in the school’s history by an alumni and will be put to good use in many ways, said Delaney.
Starting next semester, UNF will begin offering more sophisticated academic offerings. Eventually, a 200-room honors-only dorm will be constructed.
Scholarships totaling about $180,000 a year will send 60 students abroad for a semester, a summer or an entire term. That’s a critically important part of higher learning for undergraduate students who excel, said Jeff Michelman, UNF honors program director.
“They have the ability to do it,” he said of the students. ”But not everyone has the ability to pay for it.”
The honors program has almost 600 students. Boosting it to a college will increase the school’s profile, Michelman said, and eventually it should have 650-700 students.
In addition to study-abroad scholarships, about $80,000 each year will go toward Hicks Fellows. Those juniors and seniors will participate in undergraduate research with faculty, travel to conferences, work on special projects and other activities usually reserved for graduate students.
“It’s going to take it to a completely different level,” Delaney said of the gift.
The transformation from a program to a college also is a key recruiting tool, Delaney said.
The school is third in the state in admission standards, he said, and this year’s fall freshman class had an average GPA of 4.02 and a 1218 SAT score. Delaney said the Hicks Honors College will allow UNF to recruit even more high-profile students.
Delaney said David Hicks “always wanted to see a little Amherst in UNF.”
The Massachusetts liberal arts school consistently ranks as one of the best in the U.S. and is where David Hicks received a bachelor’s degree in economics before earning an MBA at Harvard University.
Ann Hicks served on UNF’s first board of trustees and the Foundation Board. She also earned a second bachelor’s degree from the school in 1994.
Ann and David Hicks were out of the country Thursday.
One model UNF leadership is keen on has been Arizona State University’s. Delaney, Michelman and others visited the western campus to see how the honors college integrated curriculum, residence halls, the classroom experience and campus activities. It’s one UNF would like to emulate.
“They have developed wonderful relationships,” Michelman said. “We were really pleased with the day we spent.”
Delaney said once fully transitioned, UNF should be able to offer an Ivy League experience for students. Michelman agrees, saying it’ll be an attractive way to retain Northeast Florida’s brightest at a fraction of the price.
“They don’t have to go away to some of the larger state universities,” he said. “They don’t have to go to an Ivy League school to get an Ivy League education.”
@writerchapman
(904) 356-2466