University of West Florida

The main campus of 1,600 acres of rolling hills and natural woodland along the Escambia River is ten miles north of downtown Pensacola. Its facilities have been designed to complement the natural beauty of this nature preserve. In addition, the University of West Florida has waterfront property on Santa Rosa Island that is available for recreational, academic, and research pursuits. The University operates the Fort Walton Beach Campus, the Eglin Air Force Base Center, and offices at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Hurlburt Field, and Whiting Field.

In 1963 the Florida Legislature authorized funds to establish the University of West Florida. The first president, Dr. Harold B. Crosby, assumed office in July 1964. Ground was broken on April 16, 1965, and the first students began classes in the fall of 1967. Dr. James A. Robinson, the second president, took office in 1974. Dr. Morris L. Marx was inaugurated UWF’s third president in 1988 and will retire in 2002. As a result of a state reorganization, university governance was transferred to a local board of trustees in 2001.