JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In his eighth year of leading the University of Florida, President Kent Fuchs has announced that this will be his last year serving in that role.
He made the announcement in a video released Wednesday.
Fuchs, 67, is serving in his eighth year after becoming the university’s 12th president in January 2015.
Fuchs told UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini in August 2021 that he would like to transition from president to professor. The two agreed that Fuchs would share his plans with the UF community in January 2022 and that he would continue to serve until the next president is appointed, which is expected to occur by early 2023.
After he leaves his role as president, Fuchs will take a sabbatical, then return to UF as a professor in his home department of electrical and computer engineering.
“UF has amazing faculty, staff, students and alumni, as well as incredible leaders in all areas across the university," said Fuchs. "They have made an enduring impact on UF. I have been blessed to serve with them.”
With his personal warmth, sense of humor and affection for students, Fuchs became a beloved figure on campus.
Most notably during his tenure, in 2017 the university reached its longtime goal of joining the nation’s top 10 public universities, according to the U.S. News Best Colleges annual rankings, rising to join the top five in 2021.
The Board of Trustees will launch a national search and appoint the next president subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors. The Board of Governors’ guidelines for the search and selection of university presidents are here.