The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public research university in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees. Its campus comprises 1,300 acres amid a natural preserve on Jacksonville's Southside. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". UNF was established in 1965 and began offering classes in 1972. UNF was initially designated an upper division college for juniors and seniors. It began admitting freshmen in 1984. UNF is organized into six colleges, five of which offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including doctoral degree programs, with noted business, coastal biology, nursing, nutrition, and music programs. Most students reside off campus, though there are six areas of on-campus housing. In 2006, the Social Sciences building became the first facility to be LEED-certified in northeast Florida, as well as the first "green" building on campus. As of 2010, five buildings on campus have been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The university has over 200 clubs and organizations for students as well as an active student government and Greek life. The student-run newspaper The Spinnaker is published monthly. The university's intercollegiate athletics teams are known as the Ospreys, and are members of the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I. History The university was founded in 1969 after midway between downtown Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Beaches were set aside for the campus, of which were donated by the Skinner family of Jacksonville. Until this time, the only publicly funded institution of higher learning was Florida Community College at Jacksonville. Construction on classrooms and buildings began in 1971 and UNF opened in the fall of 1972 with an initial enrollment of 2,027 juniors, seniors and graduate students, supported by 117 faculty and more than 150 staff. Originally, like the other Florida state institutions opened around this time, UNF was designated as a "senior" college, meaning it would enroll only upperclassmen and graduate students. UNF graduated 35 students in 1973. The school was quick to expand and it was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1974. The school's mascot, the osprey, was adopted in November 1979 over other choices such as the armadillo, the manatee and the seagull. The male and female versions of the mascot are