CATALOG 1952-1953


 GENERAL INFORMATION

 HISTORICAL NOTE
 The University of Florida is a combined state university and land-grant college
 located approximately in the center of the State. While its beginnings go back to the
 days previous to Florida's admission to the Union in 1845, its first college-the College of
 Arts and Sciences-did not open until 1853. A few years later the passage of the Morrill
 Act, providing lands for state institutions of higher learning which would promote agri-
 culture, mechanical arts, and military science, resulted in the beginnings of the College
 of Agriculture, the College of Engineering, and the Agricultural Experiment Station.
 By 1905 there were a half-dozen state-supported institutions of higher learning in
 Florida, located in various parts of the State and struggling for existence. At that time
 the Florida Legislature took a step unprecedented in the history of education in any state
 by passing the Buckman Act which abolished the six State Colleges and provided for the
 establishment of two new institutions, of which the University of Florida was one. It was
 established, for men, at Gainesville and placed under the directions of the Board of Con-
 trol, a body created by the Buckman Act, composed of seven members representing the
 seven geographical sections of the State, and serving without compensation, except for
 travel and incidental expenses incurred in the performance of duty. Under the Consti-
 tution of Florida all responsibility for the State educational institutions is vested in the
 State Board of Education, an ex-officio body composed of the Governor, the State Super-
 intendent of Public Instruction, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the
 State Treasurer. All acts of the Board of Control are subject to the approval of the
 Board of Education. In 1947 the University was made co-educational.

 SETTING AND ENVIRONMENT
 The University of Florida is located on the western fringe of Gainesville, a city
with a population of about 27,000. Situated in the rolling highlands of central Florida,
midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, the city is fortunate in its
natural endowments. Its temperature ranges throughout the year are those of semi-
tropical climate, the mean average temperature being 69.9 degrees. Extremes of heat
are unknown and frost rarely occurs. These favorable conditions, together with the
relatively slight variations in humidity, insure an equable climate that is ideally suited
the year round for study, recreation, and rehabilitation.
 In addition to its moderate climate, Gainesville offers many other advantages to
students of the University. Well known as a winter resort, it is excellently equipped
with a wide variety of recreational facilities. The city golf course is within easy reach
of the campus, and swimming and boating accommodations are available at nearby
springs and rivers. The lakes in the vicinity abound in fresh-water fish, while the Atlantic
Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, meccas of deep-sea fishermen, are within a two hours'
drive. As the seat of Alachua County, the city is the focal point of diversified industrial
and farming activities.
 RELIGIOUS LIFE

 A modern and well governed municipality, Gainesville has the distinction of being
one of the cleanest and most progressive cities in the State. Its people are hospitable and
cooperative, and the moral and religious atmosphere is wholesome. Churches that are
active include the Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, Episcopal,
Christian, Seventh Day Adventist, Christian Scientist, Church of Christ, Christian and