The Wall Street Journal's ranking of the University of Florida as the No. 1 public university in the country gave UF leaders a chance to tout a planned graduate center in Jacksonville as the kind of "elite and practical" education they want to carry into the future.
Construction of that graduate center remains years down the road and even the specific degrees it will offer remain undetermined. But it continues to pick up financial support from the city of Jacksonville with another $15 million in Mayor Donna Deegan's proposed 2023-24 budget that City Council will vote on this month.
The Wall Street Journal released its rankings last week of 400 universities for its "2024 Best Colleges in the U.S." report. The rankings were based in large part on how a school helps students by boosting the salaries they can make after graduation. UF leaders said the graduate center in Jacksonville would likewise be geared toward making a difference for businesses by linking them with the university's technology-based research.
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