First Coast colleges shutting down operations ahead of Milton

Jacksonville University cracked the Top 30 schools in the South.

The five major colleges in Northeast Florida have announced plans to shut down operations with the promise of Hurricane Milton, which is expected to lash the First Coast Thursday.

Jacksonville University (JU), the University of North Florida (UNF), Edward Waters University (EWU) and Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) have all advised students, faculty and staff that classes and campuses are going to be closed in preparation of the major storm.

Milton is projected to slam the Gulf Coast and then plow through the inland areas of the state before exiting on the Atlantic Coast Thursday. The National Hurricane Center forecasts that Milton at that point will still nail the east coast with heavy rains and winds and could still possibly hold the power of a Category 1 storm, with winds around 75 mph.

EWU in Jacksonville’s northwest area announced it’s shutting down classes and operations as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. The historically black university will remain shut down through Thursday.

“We aim to resume regular operations on Friday, October 11 and will communicate any updates to this schedule as soon as possible,” an announcement on the EWU website said Monday.

JU is also scrapping classes and closing operations. But Jacksonville’s oldest college in the historic Arlington area of the city is waiting until Wednesday to pull the trigger on canceling sessions.

“All JU-sponsored events and activities scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday are canceled,” a JU announcement said Monday.

But even Friday JU classes will be restricted and access to the physical campus will be limited. “Classes on Friday, Oct. 11, will be virtual and either synchronous or asynchronous, based on each faculty member’s choice.”

FSCJ is the city’s vocational higher learning institution with multiple campuses. Officials at FSCJ yielded to the impending natural disaster and told students to stay off those campuses beginning Wednesday.

“Due to the anticipated impacts of Hurricane Milton and the announcement of closures in and around our area, all classes and activities at all FSCJ campuses and centers will be canceled from Wednesday, October 9 through Friday, October 11. This includes online classes and administrative offices. All college events and activities during this period have been canceled,” Monday’s FSCJ announcement said, noting details on activities beginning over the weekend will be updated as Saturday approaches.

UNF waited until late Monday to announce classes will be canceled. There will be no classes at the Jacksonville Southside campus from Wednesday through Friday. Any classes on Friday were already scheduled to be closed due to a previously-scheduled Fall Break.

In St. Augustine, Flagler College is also shutting down.

“In anticipation of potential weather impacts from Hurricane Milton, Flagler College will close campus beginning at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, including residential halls, and remain closed until the all-clear is given,” the college’s website said, noting normal operations won’t return until Monday.

One other North Florida college with many students on hand, St. Johns River State College, is also closing operations. SJRSC is shutting down Wednesday through Friday, according to an announcement on the college’s website.