John Delaney: Retiring after 15 years as UNF president

Huge congrats to former mayor John Delaney as he wraps up his tenure as President of UNF next week. For my money, there isn't a person alive who's had the impact on Jacksonville that Delaney has.

Jacksonville's had some great leaders in the last 50 years. Hans Tanzler led the consolidation effort and cleaned up the St. Johns River. Jake Godbold forced the city to think bigger and brought billions in new investment to Jacksonville. Tommy Hazouri eliminated the smell. But it was Delaney's vision as mayor that truly shot the city into the 21st century with the Better Jacksonville Plan.

You can't throw a stone in Jacksonville without hitting an improvement that resulted from BJP. From the 1,800 miles of paved and enhanced streets, to the $150 million in new greenspace or decontaminated land, to Veterans Memorial Arena and the Baseball Grounds, to the new Duval County Courthouse, to the best-in-class Main Library, BJP modernized the 904 in one fell swoop. Delaney also deserves a major assist for both Daily's Place amphitheater (an idea he initiated in the 90s) and for helping to negotiate a very tricky lease that ultimately brought the Jaguars to Jacksonville.

Amazingly, his contributions to the University of North Florida since becoming President may even be loftier. I'm an analytics guy, and the numbers don't lie. Delaney's tenure saw UNF transform from a regional commuter school to a university where 60% of students were coming from out of state or area. The average GPA of incoming students shot up half a point, with an average SAT score 60 points higher. Since John took over as President, there are 50% more programs, 76% more doctorates awarded, an additional two million square feet of sustainable, LEED Gold Certified development, and half a billion dollars in additional private and public investment.

Most importantly, for a school whose initials used to be jokingly referred to as "U'll Never Finish," UNF's graduation rate is now sixth highest in the country by category. It's not an exaggeration to say that students are coming to UNF as the result of improvements Delaney has made to the school, and staying in Jacksonville post-graduation based on positive changes Delaney has made to the city. Not sure how you do much better than that.

And to top it all off, he's an incredibly nice guy.

Congrats on 15 great years, Jacksonville appreciates you, and best of luck (that you absolutely will not need) with your next challenge!