Category: Feature

Graham Center celebrates 20th anniversary with $5 million gift

The family of former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham has made a $5 million gift to UF to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service.

UF scientist reflects on historic space flight and the future of biology beyond Earth

One year after his pioneering flight aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, University of Florida space biologist Rob Ferl, Ph.D., is still processing what it meant — not just for his career, but for science itself. This September, Ferl and longtime collaborator Anna-Lisa Paul, Ph.D., will be back at Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site, continuing their work with a new series of plant experiments. 

Gators Give: Join the 2025 UF Campaign for Charities!

The UF Campaign for Charities (UFCC) is now underway and will continue through the end of November. Supporting 101 charitable organizations, the UFCC gives you the opportunity to make a lasting impact within your community.

Want to learn more about the UFCC? Watch interim Provost Joe Glover, Ph.D., interview the champions of UF’s charities as the WUFT Fall Fundraising Drive and UF Campaign for Charities kick into gear. Watch money get funny for a good cause in the Cup o’ Joe Season 2 opener.

Explore UF Engaged resources for supervisors and staff

UF supervisors and staff will receive an email today notifying them they need to complete their semi-annual UF Engaged check-ins by Oct. 31. Providing meaningful feedback plays a crucial role in employee engagement, performance and retention, and check-ins are expected to be completed by all employees.

Supervisors and staff are encouraged to explore the UF Engaged Toolkit for instruction guides, job aids, answers to frequently asked questions and suggested courses.

Congratulations to our August UF at Play winners!

We received over 600 submissions to our UF at Play photo contest this summer — Thank you to all who participated!

New semester, new opportunities: Helping employees thrive at work

The return of our students each fall brings with it a special kind of energy—a sense of renewal, possibility and purpose that is hard to match. The start of a new academic year is always a reminder of why our work matters and the collective impact we make as part of the University of Florida community.

Discover support for your well-being this semester 

Take time to explore some of the UF-sponsored programs designed to support your well-being throughout the fall semester and beyond.

Congratulations to our July UF at Play winners! 

We’ve received some incredible photographs for our UF at Play summer photo contest, which runs now through Aug. 17.   

Our winners for the month of July are College of Medicine Assistant Professor James Smith, M.D., for Nature, Student Life Assessment & Research Director Shaun Boren, Ed.D., for Travel, P.K. Yonge Teacher Clint Kovach for Daily Life and UF/IFAS Research Administrator Emily Gati for People’s Choice.

Florida scientists send seeds to ISS to study farming solutions for Earth’s harsh conditions

Wagner Vendrame, Ph.D., a UF/IFAS environmental horticulture professor and a member of UF’s Astraeus Space Institute, sent four types of UF-bred seeds to the International Space Station, or ISS, to study how spaceflight affects plant genetics and resilience.

UF research spending and awards at record high

University of Florida faculty conducted a record $1.33 billion in research in fiscal year 2025. Awards also reached a record $1.25 billion in 2025, including $818 million from the federal government, $102 million from the State of Florida and $140 million from philanthropic organizations.