UF President Kent Fuchs will begin a multi-city tour Friday during which he’ll share his goals for his presidency and plans for making UF a top 10 public research university.
The first stop is Friday at 7 p.m. at Full Sail University in Orlando. The city is home to more than 33,000 UF alumni, said UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes.
Full Sail University was founded by UF graduate Bill Heavener — a trustee, donor and “grand friend of the University of Florida,” Sikes said.
The tour will continue to major cities across the nation to meet with the greater UF community and create a list of priorities for his presidency, Sikes said. He will be meeting with alumni, donors, legislators and media.
“The listening tour is just a way for him to get out in the community and to meet people,” she said. “They can understand him, where he’s coming from and his values.”
Sikes added the tour is part of Fuchs’ plan to bring UF to national prominence.
“The president plans to begin a strategic planning process, or a ‘visioning’ process,” Sikes said. “We have pretty big aspirations to become a top 10 public research university, and it’s going to take all of us to get there.”
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said he believes people attending the free, invitation-only event will have the chance to share their own hopes for UF’s future during a Q-and-A session after Fuchs’ speech.
“The event, as the name implies, is to listen — to hear what the guests have to say,” Orlando said. “And, of course, using that information to create long-term goals for the future.”
Luisa Bolivar, a 22-year-old UF public relations alumna, said she credits her UF degree to the Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars program, which provides low-income, first-generation students with scholarships to the university developed by former UF president Bernie Machen.
Bolivar lives in the Orlando area and currently works with the Disney Institute. She said she will be attending the event Friday and plans to speak on behalf of the program.
“For me, it’s a great opportunity to talk about the program which was the reason why I was able to attend UF,” she said.
Bolivar said she believes Machen’s legacy in the scholarship program is vital to UF students and hopes Fuchs will continue to support the program. She also said she is looking forward to meeting the new president and other alumni.
“It’s a great way to connect UF alumni to the university since I don’t have the chance to go back a lot,” she said. “I’m excited to represent FOS students once more.”
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 1/28/2015 under the headline “Tour de Fuchs: UF prez to go on multi-city speaking tour "]
Orlando
Miami
Fort Lauderdale
Tampa
St. Petersburg
Jacksonville
Atlanta
