Gene Zdziarski shared some laughs and tears with colleagues and students at his going-away party Wednesday.
Zdziarski, known to students as "Dean Gene," will leave his UF position as dean of students for the vice presidency of Roanoke College, a private liberal arts college in Salem, Va.
His last day at UF is Friday, and he will begin his career at Roanoke on Sept. 15.
UF plans to announce Zdziarski's successor Friday, said Steve Orlando, UF spokesman.
"This has probably been one of the highlights of my professional career," Zdziarski said of his seven years at UF.
He said his dean position is one of the most coveted jobs in higher education and deciding to leave was difficult.
Some UF faculty and administrators shared stories about Zdziarski and presented him with gifts at the ceremony, which was in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom.
Among the gifts was a patchwork quilt made from different T-shirt squares representing organizations such as the Center for Leadership and Service and La Casita.
When staff from the Dean of Students Office presented Zdziarski with the quilt, tears came to his eyes.
The tears, however, were quickly replaced by laughter when Patricia Telles-Irvin, vice president for student affairs, told stories of Zdziarski's love for hurricane season.
For Zdziarski, Telles-Irvin said hurricane season usually meant camping out in a bunker with beef jerky.
She recalled how on his first day of work �" Sept. 11, 2001 �" Zdziarski parked his car next to a random curb on campus and immediately headed to his office.
Surprisingly, he didn't get a parking ticket from the University Police Department, she added.
When Zdziarski took the stage for the last time, he said he hadn't realized how his life had been touched until it was time to leave.
"This is the greatest part of the job: working with the students and interacting with them," he said.
