President Fuchs addresses UF staff at APA event

By Matthew P. Cowley, M. Ed.

apa_fuchsAssistant Director for Professional Development and Experience

UF President Kent Fuchs gave University of Florida staff members an update on some of his top agenda items and upcoming goals in what he described as “a walk through his calendar” at a June 28 event hosted by UF’s Academic and Professional Assembly.

President Fuchs began by discussing the search for a new athletic director in the wake of current AD Jeremy Foley’s recently announced retirement. Noting the position requires a unique set of qualities that perhaps 10 people in the country possess – a combination of leadership, ethics and dedication to academics — Fuchs said he hopes a new selection will be made by October.

Fuchs also discussed recent meetings and ongoing work with Florida’s Board of Governors and the University of Florida Foundation, outlining the kind of financial support that University of Florida will need from both the UF Foundation and the state government if the university is to join the top institutions in the country.  Lastly, he shared the seven aspirational goals and a single aspirational statement developed by UF’s Goal-Setting Task Force, along with the specific resources and support that will be needed to accomplish these goals.

The event concluded with questions from the audience. Inquiries ranged from questions about the university’s role in the local area’s economic development to the Campus Climate Survey and its implications. On campus climate, Fuchs highlighted the importance of transparency as we grow as an institution as well as UF’s commitment to address the results of the survey head-on. At the conclusion of the event, he graciously stayed to speak with attendees one-on-one.