LAKE CITY, Fla. – On Thursday, April 3, Florida Gateway College will host a guest lecture, “Why UF Left Lake City for Gainesville: History Told,” presented by University of Florida Librarian Emeritus, historian, and archivist Carl Van Ness.
About the event:
Did you know that the University of Florida was once located in Lake City and moved to Gainesville in the early 1900s? Please join us for a guest presentation from UF Librarian Emeritus Carl Van Ness about UF’s intriguing early history in Lake City. We cordially invite students, faculty, staff, and the community to this special event. The evening will begin with an introduction of Mr. Van Ness by FGC Professor of History Dr. Sean McMahon and will conclude with an invitation for the audience to ask questions about the historical relationship between UF and Lake City.
Why UF Left Lake City for Gainesville: History Told
Thursday, April 3, 2025
7 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
FGC’s Levy Performing Arts Center
Free Admission
Van Ness spent nearly 40 years researching, preserving, and telling the history of
the University of Florida before his 2022 retirement as UF Historian and Political
Papers Archivist. During his tenure, he served in multiple roles including head of
archives and manuscripts, associate chair of the Department of Special and Area Studies
Collections, and University Archivist. His book, “The Making of Florida’s Universities:
Public Higher Education at the Turn of the Twentieth Century,” was published in 2023
and tells the history of Florida’s public universities, including UF, Florida State
University, and Florida A&M University.