President Kent Fuchs asked UF’s Board of Trustees five questions to improve undergraduate education Friday before sharing his excitement over his ESPN Sports Center debut.
He opened discussion for questions he said he thinks are important to consider for the next five to 10 years, which included the number of students who should attend UF; student demographic factors such as geographic, racial and ethnic diversity; and need-based and merit-based aid.
Nearly every Association of American Universities school ranked higher than UF in geographic diversity, Fuchs said, as the undergraduate population is 93 percent Florida residents.
New trustee member Anita Zucker said her children chose an out-of-state university to meet more diverse people.
“I think we need to make sure we’re offering those opportunities to prepare (students) for the world they’ll be facing,” she said.
Provost Joseph Glover said recruiters are stationed across the East Coast to build the recruitment pool.
At the end of the meeting, the board unanimously passed a motion to rename the Heisman Trophy winner area of the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It will be called the Lee Chira Family Heisman Plaza in honor of the family’s recent support of the athletic program.
The Graduate Assistants United camped outside the meeting at 9 a.m. with pastries and coffees to welcome discussion regarding their extra fees. Trustee member Charles Edwards came by the table, said Liz Getman, a UF Latin American Studies fourth-year graduate student.
“It’s nice to be acknowledged,” Getman, 27, said. “It’s a starting point.”
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 4/6/2015 under the headline “Fuchs calls for more diversity at UF”]
Kent Fuchs and his wife, Linda, Gator Chomp after the Cornell University provost was named UF’s 12th president at Emerson Alumni Hall on Wednesday.
