UF trustees OK list of qualifications sought in next president

May 23, 2014

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida’s Board of Trustees approved on Friday a 25-point list of qualifications it’s looking for in the next UF president. The list will guide a nationwide and global search for the successor to President Bernie Machen, who will retire later this year.

The search committee had in 2012 compiled a list after extensive public input. That search ended when  Machen agreed to extend his service to secure support from the Legislature and devise a plan for elevating UF’s national standing. The Legislature last year designated UF the state’s foremost preeminent research university, and the Board of Trustees committed to a goal of UF becoming a top-10 public research university within the 62-member Association of American Universities. The list approved Friday updates the qualifications to reflect the top-10 campaign. The list starts with a call for a leader with a distinguished academic career.

Presidential Search Committee Chairman Steven M. Scott sent an update Friday morning to more than 240,000 UF alumni, employees, students and supporters to update them on the search. The letter is at http://presidentsearch.ufl.edu/about/chairman-updates/.