History of the College
In 1853
East Florida Seminary opened its doors in Ocala. The University of Florida marks this as its founding date. Many courses were offered that can be traced to the today’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, such as English, history, zoology and Latin.
In 1905
The Buckman Act creates a new University of Florida. A chemistry student was awarded the University’s first masters degree.
In 1910
The College of Arts and Sciences opened as part of a reorganization of the University of Florida. Prior to 1910, classes in the arts and sciences were taught in the School of Language and Literature and the General Scientific School. According to the University Record of May 1910, the University had been "reorganized with a view to bringing its organization and nomenclature into harmony with that of other institutions engaged in similar work and in order to attain a better coordination among its various lines of activity." The new college had a staff of twelve and offered degrees in fifteen disciplines: Ancient Languages, Botany, Chemistry, Education, Secondary Education, English, Geology, History and Economics, Mathematics and Astronomy, Military Science and Tactics, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Physics, Zoology and Bacteriology. Over the years, the college underwent constant change. Some of the original departments were transferred to new colleges; the education classes moved to the College of Education in 1913, Economics joined the College of Commerce and Journalism in 1920, and the military sciences became a separate division. A few departments--Botany, Chemistry, and Physics-- left the college for short periods and returned. Courses in the fine arts were added, and these eventually became part of the College of Fine Arts. New departments were created; some of the early ones were Religion (1911), Geology and Biology (1913), Sociology and Political Science (1914), Speech (1917), and Psychology (1930). Today, there are 23 departments in the college.
James Nesbitt Anderson
James Nesbitt Anderson was named the first dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Born in 1864 in Laurens County, South Carolina, he went on to earn a BA and MA from the University of Virginia. He studied at Harvard University as a Morgan Fellow and later received a PhD from Johns Hopkins University. As a Greek and Latin professor at Vanderbilt University he taught UF President John J. Tigert. Anderson came to UF in 1906 as professor and chair of the ancient languages department. In 1910 he became dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and in 1930 he was named dean of the Graduate School. He retired from the university in the summer of 1938 and died in June 1945.
In 1910
The College of Arts and Sciences graduated its first group of students. Five were granted bachelor’s degrees.
In 1912
Language Hall (above) was constructed to house history, mathematics and the languages. It was later renamed Anderson Hall, in honor of Dean James Nesbitt Anderson. Today, Anderson Hall is home to the religion and political science departments.
In 1934
Townes R. Leigh was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He earned a BS from Iuka in 1901, a AB from Lebanon University in 1902 and a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1915. Leigh became head of the UF chemistry department in 1920. He was a pharmacist, as well as a chemist, and developed the College of Pharmacy at UF and served as its first dean from 1923-33. Leigh Hall, constructed in his honor, was opened in 1927 as the home for the College of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry.
He served as acting vice president of the university in 1934 and then as the vice president 1946-1948. He died in February 1949.
In 1934
Chemistry student John Morrow earned the first PhD awarded at the University of Florida. His dissertation was entitled “The Dielectric Constant of Benzene.”
In 1935
UF President Tigert
UF President Tigert created General College out of concern that UF students were not getting a strong liberal arts education. Many universities across the nation formed general colleges in the 1930s to strengthen student’s core education and to provide better counseling services to undergraduates. The attrition rate was very high at the time—1/3 of first and second year UF students dropped out of college before their junior year. Through increased student counseling, General College helped to alleviate this problem. First and second year students at UF enrolled in General College and earned an associate of arts degree before entering the academic college of their choosing to complete their bachelor’s degree. In 1945, the college was renamed University College and the curriculum was changed to provide specific courses for those students who intended to enroll in one of the upper-division colleges and a general program of study for those students who sought only the associate of arts degree.
In 1937
UF opened its chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most respected undergraduate honors organization in the US with the mission of fostering and recognizing excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.
In 1938
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of the 1939 Pulitzer Prize winner The Yearling, taught a creative writing course at UF for the Department of English.
In 1947
Dorothy Rethlingshafer became the first woman to join the faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences when she was hired by the Department of Psychology. At the time of her arrival, she had published many more articles than any other professor in the department. She was a key player in the development of the doctoral program and taught testing, development, learning and motivation courses. She was promoted to full professor at the time of her retirement in June 1970 and died a few weeks later.
In 1948
Ralph Emerson Page was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He was born in Middlebury, Indiana in 1903. He earned his AB from Bluffton College in Ohio in 1926 and attended Syracuse University 1927-1930, where he earned an MA and PhD. He taught at Syracuse University and served as professor and chair of the political science department at Bucknell University before coming to UF in 1948. He retired from the university in 1971.
In 1962
UF admitted its first group of African American students. Seven were admitted. Just two years later, in 1964, UF opened the first African Studies program in the south and the eleventh in the nation. In 1969, African American Studies began offering its first course.
In 1968
Marshall
Nirenberg
Alumnus Marshall Nirenberg won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on deciphering the genetic code. Nirenberg earned a BS from UF in 1948 and a MS in 1952, both in zoology.
In 1968
Harry Hall Sisler was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He was born in 1917 in Ohio and earned a BS from Ohio State University in 1936. He earned his MS and PhD from the University of Illinois in 1937 and 1939. He taught chemistry at the University of Kansas and Ohio State University before becoming professor and chair of the UF chemistry department in 1956. He also served as dean of the Graduate School and vice president of the university.
In 1970
John Thompson
- UF hired its first black faculty and staff. The small group of eight included English professors Ronald C. Foreman and Betty Ingram.
- Mathematics Professor John Thompson won the Fields Medal, the highest prize for mathematics, equivalent to the prestigious Nobel Prize. In 2001, Thompson was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Bill Clinton, which is the highest honor bestowed upon a scientist by the US government.
In 1972
Calvin Anthony VanderWerf was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Born in 1917 in Wisconsin, he earned a BA from Hope College in 1937 and a PhD from Ohio State University in 1941. He served as professor and chair of the chemistry department at the University of Kansas before returning to his alma mater, Hope College, in 1963 to serve in the role of president. He came to UF as the dean of Arts and Sciences in 1972.
In 1973
- The Center for Jewish Studies was established and in 1987 it was approved by the Board of Regents to offer degrees. The Center provides an undergraduate, interdepartmental curriculum, which serves as a basis for understanding the broad spectrum of Jewish culture, religion, and civilization.
- The Center for Studies in Criminology and Law was established as a joint venture between sociology, psychology and political science. The center actually began this year as a criminal justice program, evolved by 1983 into the Institute for Studies in Criminology and Law, and was named the Center for Studies in Criminology and Law in 1985. The first director of the program, back in 1974, was Merle Alexander. The center offers an interdisciplinary BA in criminology and law and has a proposal under consideration to begin a MA and PhD program. In 2004, the center was renamed the Department of Criminology Law and Society.
In 1976
Ruth McQuown
Ruth McQuown became the first female associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She had served as an assistant dean since 1971. McQuown was a political science professor and local political activist. She died in August 1984. In April 1993, Room 219 in Dauer Hall was named in her honor. The room is one of the nicest conference facilities on campus.
In 1977
- The women’s studies program was established, offering classes dedicated
to exploring the perspectives of women. English Professor Irene Thompson
served as its first director. In 1990, an interdisciplinary BA in women’s
studies was approved and in 1992 a minor was passed. The program was changed
into a Type II center in 1994 and was renamed the Center for Women’s
Studies and Gender Research. In fall 2002, a master’s program was
established and the center is in the process of developing a PhD program.
Pictured from left to right: Jaquelyn Resnick, Ruth McQuown, Madelyn Lockhart, Maxine Margolis, Faye Harris, and Irene Thompson. - Philosophy student Billy Kynes was named a Rhodes Scholar.
In 1978
University College was abolished after and long and acrimonious struggle. University College was merged into the College of Arts and Sciences, which became the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The tenured faculty of University College was absorbed into departments in the new college. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is now responsible for the supervision of general education and for awarding the associate of arts certificate.
Charles F. Sidman
Charles F. Sidman was hired as dean the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He came to UF from the University of Kansas, where he served for 18 years as a professor of history and then as chair of the history department. Sidman was born in 1931 in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned a BA and MA in history from John Carroll University in Cleveland in 1953 and 1956, respectively. He received a PhD in history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1960. At UF, Sidman served as dean of both the College of Arts and Sciences and University College and had the job of integrating the two colleges into the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. After stepping down as dean in 1988, Sidman taught German history in the Department of History before retiring in 1996. He currently resides in Gainesville.
Construction of Ralph Turlington Hall was completed on the site of one of the first structures on the University of Florida campus. The building was originally called General Purpose Building A (GPA), but was renamed Ralph Turlington Hall in honor of the former State Education Commissioner and UF business professor. Today, Turlington Hall is home to the college dean’s office and to many CLAS departments and programs.
In 1980
English Professor Donald Justice won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry for Selected Poems. He taught at UF from 1982 until his retirement in 1992. He resides in Iowa City with his wife, Jean Ross.
In 1982
The African and Asian Languages and Literatures department was founded. Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese and Swahili had been taught on campus since the late 1960s, and the college recognized the need to promote and enhance the non-Western languages and cultures in the form of a department committed to these areas. Haig Der-Houssikian served as the first chair of the department.
In 1983
Charlotte Mather
Political science student Charlotte Mather became the first woman elected student body president at UF. Joan Warren, also a political science student, was the first woman to run for the job, back in 1969.
In 1988
Willard W. Harrison
Willard W. Harrison (left) was hired as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He came to UF from the University of Virginia, where he served as the chair of the chemistry department and as associate provost. Harrison earned a BA in 1958 and MA in 1960, both in chemistry, from Southern Illinois University. In 1964, he earned a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Illinois. He served as dean of CLAS for almost 12 years, before stepping down in July 2000 to devote more time to his chemistry research and teaching. He is currently on staff at UF as a professor of chemistry.
In 1996
The William and Grace Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication was created to prepare UF students to effectively use the conventions governing speaking and writing in their chosen disciplines. Kellie Robert serves as its director.
In 1997
Kenneth and Janet Keene
Kenneth and Janet Keene donated a generous gift which allowed the college to start restoration of Anderson and Flint Halls. Under the direction of Rowe Architects, the buildings underwent renovations from 1999-2001 and are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2000
Newman Nahas
English student Newman Nahas was named a Rhodes Scholar.
In 2001
Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan was named dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, after serving as interim dean for the 2000-2001 academic year. Sullivan came to UF in 1982 from the Centre d’Etudes Nuclearies in Saclay, France, where he worked as a physicist. He earned a BS in 1964 and a MS in 1965, both from Otago University in his homeland New Zealand. In 1972, he earned a PhD from Harvard University. Sullivan served as chair of UF’s physics department for four terms and as an associate dean of CLAS before officially taking over the reins as dean in June 2001.
In 2003
As the University of Florida celebrated its 150th anniversary, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences had many new initiatives are on the horizon, including the construction of the world’s largest optical telescope on the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain (below) and the continued development of the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere.
In 2004
Kay Chicone Ustler and her son Craig
Ustler
Renovations began on the Women's Gym, which will be renamed Kathryn Chicone Uslter Hall once completed.
Ustler's donation will transform the building into a 14,700 square-foot, three-level facility will house classrooms, seminar rooms, and faculty and administrative offices for the Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research.
It will be the first UF academic building named solely after a woman.
In 2005
Robert Grubbs
- The college established two new centers - the Center for the Study of Hindu Traditions, directed by Religion Professor Vasudha Narayanan, and the Center for Medieval and Modern Studies, directed by Mary Watt and Will Hasty.
- Robert H. Grubbs, who earned degrees in chemistry from UF, received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. An organic chemist whose work on catalysis has led to a wide variety of applications in medicine and industry, Grubbs is currently the Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
In 2006
- Following two years of restoration, the college opened the restored Kathryn Chicone Ustler Hall, the new home to Women’s Studies.
- Ground was broken for Jim and Alexis Pugh Hall, future home of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. Pugh Hall is being constructed in the heart of the UF historic district between Newell and Dauer Halls. Once completed, the 40,000-square-foot facility will include a teaching auditorium and public space for lectures and events.
In 2007
- Associate Provost Joe Glover became interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Science in January following the resignation of Dean Neil Sullivan, who led the college from 2000 to 2006. Glover’s relationship to the college dates back to 1982, when he was named an assistant professor of mathematics. He served as chair of the Department of Mathematics from 1993 to 1998 and as the college’s associate dean for faculty affairs from 1998 until 2001, when he was named UF’s associate provost of academic affairs.
- The Bob Graham Center for Public Service enrolled its first class of students at the start of the spring 2007 term.