University History
Jacksonville University is an especially impressive educational center when one considers its modest beginnings. Created to "furnish an opportunity for citizens of Jacksonville and vicinity to obtain a standard collegiate education without leaving the city’’ and "to fill the need for a center of culture and cultural background for Jacksonville,’’ William J. Porter University opened its doors in 1934 as a two-year community college. Within a year, the institution was renamed Jacksonville Junior College to identify more accurately its ties to the city and its two-year program.

The College’s first ten years were a continuing struggle for survival; but, by 1944, the first full-time president and faculty had moved into the Kay Mansion in Jacksonville’s fashionable Riverside area. With returning World War II veterans swelling the student ranks and projected enrollments increasing, plans for another move were soon underway. In 1947, the Board of Trustees commissioned a master plan for development of a new campus in suburban Arlington. In 1950, the College relocated to its present site in its first permanent structure, the Founders Building.

With the decision to expand to a four-year program, Jacksonville Junior College became Jacksonville University in 1956. Shortly thereafter, the Jacksonville College of Music merged with the University. In 1961, JU was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the College of Music was renamed the College of Fine Arts due to the addition of programs in drama, art, and fine arts. Graduate studies were added to the curriculum in 1964 with the creation of the Master of Arts in Teaching Program.

In May 1967, the College of Arts and Sciences was established by combining the academic divisions of business administration, education, humanities, science and mathematics, and social sciences. The Davis College of Business opened in 1979. Graduate studies leading to the Master of Business Administration degree were initiated the following year, and the Executive MBA program was added in 1984. An adult studies program was established in 1986 as the College of Weekend Studies under the administrative supervision of the Davis College of Business. This program is now the JU Adult Degree Program.

University Mission, Values and Vision
The Mission and Vision of Jacksonville University, a private, independent institution offering baccalaureate and selected master’s degrees, are articulated in the following statements approved by the Board of Trustees.

Mission
The Mission of Jacksonville University is to prepare each student for life-long success in learning, achieving, leading and serving.

This mission will be accomplished as a small, comprehensive, independent university community located within a vibrant urban setting. The University serves an ethnically and geographically diverse, predominantly undergraduate student body, as well as adult learners in selected undergraduate and graduate programs.

The Jacksonville University learning community will provide personalized service, close student-faculty interaction and an extensive array of educational and co-curricular programs. Our learning experience will emphasize engaged learning, the integration of thinking with doing, and the combination of professional preparation with a strong liberal arts foundation.

Values
In the Jacksonville University learning and living community we value:
- students and the quality of their learning/living experience as the highest priority;
- faculty and student engagement in teaching, learning, and extending knowledge within an environment of excellence and academic freedom;
- service to the University, community, and society; and honesty, integrity, and mutual respect.

Vision
Jacksonville University will be known for developing graduates who are distinctively well prepared for lives of continuous learning, achievement, leadership and service.

The focus of Jacksonville University will be on creating a complete learning environment where students can develop and experience academic, social, and personal success. Students will feel that Jacksonville University is their academic home; a home in which they feel safe, secure, appreciated, and involved. The foundation of this effort will be the full-time undergraduate program, complemented by selected professional and graduate programs.

Alma Mater
"On the banks of the wide St. Johns
Stands our Alma Mater dear,
Where by striving and through our friendships,
We find a pathway clear.
It’s the place where our thoughts return
As through this busy world we roam.
For our memories will always lead us
Back to our college home."

Official Colors & Mascot
The University colors are forest green and white. The symbol is the oak tree. The mascot is the dolphin.