President Kent Fuchs
The University of Florida is one of the nation’s very best public universities, and our home of Gainesville is a beautiful, vibrant university city.
UF is a leader in education, ranked No. 6 among the nation’s top public, residential universities by U.S. News & World Report, and we are particularly strong in online education – a critical arena in these times. Indeed, UF Online, our fully online bachelor’s degree program, is ranked No. 4 nationally by U.S. News.
We are a research powerhouse, with research spending of $929 million for the 2019 fiscal year, a record high and close to our goal of $1 billion. We are a world leader in commercialization of our technologies and ideas through UF Innovate. UF technologies are at the heart of 200 startups.
As we support research, technology and jobs, we are also working hard to create a more attractive, livable, equitable and diverse community – both within our university and outside it. This summer we announced more than a dozen steps to address inequities and increase opportunities , including working with local leaders to improve our community’s economic and educational well-being. We believe that we can only achieve our highest aspirations with everyone participating — and everyone benefiting.
Without a doubt, a vibrant partnership with our local and regional community is key to UF’s success, and that partnership has only strengthened as we worked closely with Gainesville and Alachua County on measures to combat the pandemic. Long range, UF’s Strategic Development Plan, a roadmap for how UF and the Gainesville community can grow together through the next half century, is moving ahead.
Creativity, diversity and a rich cultural landscape are among many characteristics that make Gainesville a unique and wonderful place to live and work, and we at UF are fortunate indeed to call Gainesville home. I hope you’ll consider making Gainesville your home as well.