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University of Florida

Committee Charge

Charge to Presidential Search Committee, Board Chair Mori Hosseini

UF BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHARGE TO
PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE
JANUARY 12, 2026

The University of Florida Presidential Search Advisory Committee is appointed to serve in an advisory role to the University of Florida Board of Trustees, which shall select the 14th President of the University of Florida. Rahul Patel is serving as Chair of the Committee.


The President of the University of Florida is one of the most influential and impactful positions in all of public higher education and in the State of Florida.


In 2021, for the first time, the University of Florida was ranked a Top 5 public university in the country by US News & World Report.


The opportunity to serve as the next President of the University of Florida represents an opportunity to lead Florida’s flagship university in its quest to be firmly and consistently recognized among the most prominent and influential public and private universities in the country.


The next president will promote UF’s core values and build upon the following qualities which distinguish UF among today’s leading public research universities:


Florida is now the third most populous and one of the fastest growing states in the country. With new interest in its urban centers from corporate leaders across a wide range of industries, Florida is a national leader well positioned to enter a new era of influence.


UF has great momentum as a university. In 2017, pursuant to the US News & World Report, UF was the 14th ranked public university in the country. Today, UF is ranked 7th among the nation’s top public research universities by U.S. News & World Report.


The Wall Street Journal highlighted the 2025 City Journal rankings that placed the University of Florida as No. 1 among the top universities in the nation, public or private. The analysis evaluated 100 leading universities across the country on 68 factors, including curriculum and academic rigor, preparation of students for productive careers, and an institutional commitment to civil discourse.


UF faculty conducted a record $1.33 billion in research expenditures in fiscal year 2025, placing UF firmly among the nation’s top research universities. UF also set a new record for the number of invention disclosures faculty submitted for discoveries that have commercialization potential.


UF researchers announced a major advance in cancer immunotherapy, demonstrating that mRNA-based approaches can significantly enhance treatment effectiveness and extend survival for patients with advanced lung and skin cancers. This work, which builds on earlier UF-led cancer research, received significant national and international media attention and further solidified UF’s leadership in cutting-edge cancer research.


In October 2025, UF unveiled the latest iteration of HiPerGator, now recognized as the nation’s fastest university-owned supercomputer. This milestone reflects the continued success of UF’s artificial intelligence initiative, which began in 2020 and is supported by a deeply embedded collaboration with NVIDIA. UF’s AI initiative has become a national model for building America’s AI workforce and boosting the country’s national competitiveness.


UF’s plan to create a graduate campus in Jacksonville got a major boost in June 2025, when the Jacksonville City Council voted unanimously to approve both the transfer of more than 20 acres of land in the LaVilla neighborhood to UF and an additional $50 million in funding. Combined with state support and philanthropy, total funding now stands at $300 million. We are well on our way to making this campus a reality.


The UF Foundation’s fundraising program is ranked among the top public universities in the nation. UF has one of the highest alumni participation rates in the country for public institutions. The recent Go Greater campaign exceed its $3B working goal with a finish of over $4B+ in the fall of 2022. UF will begin its next capital campaign in 2026.


UF was an early adopter of leveraging technology for on-line education and ranks #2 in the country for on-line learning.


In 2025, we celebrated multiple major investments in UF’s academic infrastructure, including:


a. UF’s South Florida MBA program will move from Miramar to Citigroup Center right in the heart of Miami’s downtown financial district.


b. The groundbreaking of the new College of Dentistry building, funded by $210 million in state support, the largest investment the state of Florida has ever made in an education building.


c. The renovation of the historic Infirmary, which will be the new home of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education. The Hamilton School has quickly become the destination for renowned western civilization scholars and, starting this month, will be led by former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, Charles Canady.


d. Significant upgrades to the School of Music and the ribbon-cutting for the College of Design, Construction and Planning’s Bruno E. and Maritza F. Ramos Collaboratory.


e. Completion of the final phase of the Honors Village, adding 1,400 beds to UF’s residence hall collection in a state-of-the-art setting befitting a top-ranked university. In addition, demolition of Trusler, Simpson and Graham halls, residence halls dating back to the 1960s, cleared the way for the start on 10,000 new beds to support future growth.

UF has one of the most comprehensive academic health programs in the country, which includes six academic health colleges. UF also has one of the top academic health care systems and hospitals in the southeast, consistently ranked among the top health systems in Florida.

UF Scripps Florida is one of the world’s premier biomedical research enterprises and regarded as one of the most influential institutions in the world for its impact on innovation and addressing the world’s most pressing health concerns.

In keeping with its land grant mission, UF has one of the nation’s most comprehensive agriculture and natural resources programs with a presence in each of Florida’s 67 counties. IFAS is a significant thought leader and driver of the Florida’s $130 billion agriculture community.

A world class athletics program. UF is the only program in the country among the top 10 in each of the last 40 national all-sports standings and the only program to win three national titles in football and basketball, including the 2025 National Championship in basketball.

Plans have come together for one of our most exciting construction projects — a long-overdue rehabilitation of our beloved Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. This multi-year project will ultimately transform The Swamp and ensure it continues as one of the most impressive and iconic venues in college football.

Finally, UF has experienced unwavering support from the state of Florida, which has endorsed UF’s drive to become one of the nation’s very best public research universities, including supporting those efforts with hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding.

The next President of the University of Florida must have the experience, accomplishments, vision and reputation to lead the University of Florida to build upon its top-tier position.


The Committee, assisted by Korn Ferry, is charged with undertaking the following:

  • Search Criteria: Develop and recommend to the University of Florida Board of Trustees for its approval, the search criteria and job description for the next President.
    • The search criteria and job description shall reflect the University’s vision of its next leader.
    • The criteria shall be qualified as “desired,” and shall be unranked to allow each member of the Committee and each Trustee to judge how to weigh and apply the criteria, individually and overall.
    • The criteria should reflect the University’s official status as Florida’s foremost preeminent public research university and the University Board-endorsed goal to be consistently ranked among the top-5 public AAU research universities.
    • The criteria and job description should also reflect qualifications of a leader with the ability to effectively position the University of Florida to achieve its strategic priorities and who has the stature and vision to translate the value generated by the university over the last decade into elevating UF’s national and global reputation. o Consistent with the principles of shared governance, the search criteria should be developed with outreach to a broad range of UF stakeholders, including faculty, students, staff, community leaders, alumni, donors, boosters, business leaders, and a listserv of over 200,000 addresses of the UF campus and extended community.
  • Recruitment and Outreach: Recruit and actively solicit nominations and applications from a group of well-qualified persons, as measured against the search criteria. Ensure that appropriate information about the university and the presidency is provided to candidates at each stage of the screening process.
  • Assessment: Assess the qualifications of applicants for the position of UF President against the search criteria, determine those highly qualified applicants to be interviewed by the Committee, and conduct interviews of those applicants and determine those applicants who are most highly qualified under the search criteria.
  • Recommendation: Recommend to the Board of Trustees for its interview, consideration and engagement with UF Stakeholders a small and unranked number of the most highly qualified candidates consistent with Board of Governors Regulation 1.002.
  • Communications: Conduct a search process that is transparent, including frequent communication with UF stakeholders to keep them apprised of the progress of the search and opportunities for input and engagement, while balancing an appropriate level of confidentiality consistent with the laws of the State of Florida and the regulations of the Board of Governors.
  • Compliance: Take other action required by and conduct the search in compliance with the laws of the State of Florida, including Section 1004.098, Florida Statutes, and the regulations of the Board of Governors, including Board of Governors Regulation 1.002.

The Board of Trustees extends its gratitude to the members of the Committee for accepting this assignment.