University of Florida in United States of America

Institutional Planning and Research (IPR) provides evidence-based analyses and reports that inform and shape institutional planning at the University of Florida. The office provides timely, accurate, consistent, and vital information about the university, peer institutions, and higher education.

IPR conducts research needed by university decision-makers, publishes reports on the performance of the institution, creates data visualizations, and participates in national studies. The office integrates and interprets data from internal and external sources, builds new applications to expand access to data, and advocates for data quality and integrity.

Our Vision

Institutional Planning and Research envisions the University of Florida as an institution whose plans, policies, and decisions are informed by a rich core of valid institutional data and a sophisticated understanding of the meaning of those data. The national and international image of the University of Florida is enhanced by presentation and reporting of data that document accurately its excellence and performance.

Our Mission

The mission of the Institutional Planning and Research is threefold.

First, IPR provides the university leadership with information and analyses that support planning, policy formation and decision making. Second, IPR serves as a comprehensive source for information about the University of Florida.
Finally, IPR administers reporting of University of Florida data to the State of Florida, Federal Government, and other major organizations such as the AAU.
Our Core Operational Strategies
Institutional Planning and Research serves a broad base of institutional and external clients.
Three operational strategies promote excellence and efficiency in achieving its mission.

First, IPR enables many clients to obtain information on a self-service basis using its Web, query, and reporting tools.
Second, IPR hires highly-trained, knowledgeable professionals capable of conducting sophisticated analyses and creating useful models for clients.
Finally, IPR partners with other University Offices in order to leverage the best sources of data and knowledge when creating its products and services.

History of the University of Florida

The history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida originated as several distinct institutions that were consolidated to create a single state-supported university by the Buckman Act of 1905. The earliest of these was the East Florida Seminary, one of two seminaries of higher learning established by the Florida Legislature. The East Florida Seminary opened in 1853, becoming the first state-supported institution of higher learning in the state of Florida; the University of Florida traces its founding date to that year.

The East Florida Seminary operated in Ocala until the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. It closed for the duration of the war, and reopened in Gainesville in 1866, absorbing the Gainesville Academy. The other primary predecessor to the University of Florida was the Florida Agricultural College, established at Lake City in 1884 by Jordan Probst. Florida Agricultural College became the first land-grant college in the state, and the small college emphasized the scientific training of agricultural and mechanical specialists. In 1903, the Florida Legislature changed the name of Florida Agricultural College to the “University of Florida”, in recognition of the legislature’s desire to expand the curriculum beyond the college’s original agricultural and engineering educational missions.

In 1905 the Buckman Act restructured higher education in Florida, and the state’s six standing institutions were reorganized into three schools segregated by race and gender. The act mandated the merger of four of these institutions – the East Florida Seminary, the University of Florida at Lake City (formerly Florida Agricultural College), the St. Petersburg Normal and Industrial School in St. Petersburg, and the South Florida Military College in Bartow – into the University of the State of Florida, a university for white males. The school began accepting some white women starting in 1924, and became fully coeducational as a result of the influx of new students brought in by the GI Bill after World War II. It became racially integrated in 1958. Into the 21st century the school grew substantially in size and increased in academic prominence, becoming a member of the Association of American Universities in 1985. It is now known as The University of Florida.