Elaine Turner will start Friday in her permanent position as UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences’ new dean.
Turner, the college’s interim dean since January, has been at UF for 18 years and has served as associate dean since 2006. Her term as dean will officially begin on Friday.
Turner said her focus will be on providing faculty with opportunities to improve their teaching as well as improving the student learning experience in and out the classroom.
The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is the third-largest college at UF, and Turner said she plans to keep it that way by continuing a reputation on campus of quality programs, advising and professors.
Turner said she doesn’t want to lose a close connection with students in her new position.
She said she plans to discuss various means of communication with her students.
“There are some things to explore,” Turner said, “and there are a lot of potential ways I can keep those connections going.”
James Barringer, a 21-year-old UF agricultural education and communications junior, said Turner is a perfect choice for dean. He said he hopes Turner will bring an increase of professional opportunities.
“She is a great individual and fits in the position well,” Barringer said. “She has great initiatives and is dedicated to the mission of CALS and agriculture.”
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 4/7/2014 under the headline "UF agricultural college announces Elaine Turner as new dean"]
