UF Presidential Search Committee Announcement

Dear University of Florida family and friends:

I am pleased today to appoint and introduce the members of the University of Florida Presidential Search Committee. The members are a distinguished group representing the UF Board of Trustees, student body, faculty, administration, alumni and other stakeholders and supporters of the University of Florida. Each has agreed to make the significant commitment of time and dedication needed to identify highly qualified candidates for the critical position of UF’s 13th president. Those on the Committee possess a diverse array of expertise, professional interests and accomplishments, as well as one crucial common trait: a deep devotion to UF’s future.

I am also pleased to announce that UF Board of Trustees member Rahul Patel will serve as chair of the Presidential Search Committee. Rahul received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida (BA ’94, JD ’97) and is a partner and co-head of the Private Equity group at the law firm of King & Spalding, where he has been elected by the firm’s partnership to serve on the firm’s Policy Committee. Rahul is serving his second term on our Board of Trustees and currently serves as Chair of the Committee on Academic, Faculty & Student Success, Public Relations & Strategic Communications. In the past, he has served as Chair of our Board of Trustees’ Governance Committee and Finance Committee. Rahul currently also serves on the Executive Board of Directors of the University of Florida Foundation and has previously served as President of the University of Florida Alumni Association and President of the University of Florida College of Law Alumni Council. Rahul is a member of the Board of Directors of Crawford & Company (NYSE) and the Board of Trustees of The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. Joining Rahul on the Committee are the following 14 members:

• Mr. Doug Band, UF Foundation National Board
• Dr. David Bloom, UF Faculty Representative, Faculty Senate Chair and Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
• Mr. David Duda, UF Alumnus
• Mr. Manny Fernandez, UF Alumnus
• Ms. Lauren Lemasters, UF Student and Student Body President-Elect
• Mr. Charles Lydecker, Florida Board of Governors
• Dr. Lisa Lundy, UF Faculty Representative, Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator, Department of Agricultural Education and Communication
• Dr. Duane Mitchell, UF Faculty Representative, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery
• Ms. Marsha Powers, UF Trustee
• Mr. Fred Ridley, UF Trustee
• Ms. Laura Rosenbury, Dean, UF Levin College of Law
• Mr. Bob Stilley, UF Alumnus
• Ms. Lynda Tealer, Executive Associate Athletics Director, University Athletics Association
• Ms. Anita Zucker, UF Trustee

The Search Committee is advisory and will ultimately recommend a small number of highly qualified candidates to the UF Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees will interview the finalists and select the next president of the University of Florida, with the Board of Governors of the State University System ratifying. The Committee will be assisted by SP&A Executive Search, the executive search firm selected by the Board of Trustees. The charge to the Search Committee and brief biographies of Committee members will be posted on a search website. A link to this site will be shared once it is available.

Search Committee Chair Rahul Patel also will call upon, as advisors, accomplished individuals with valuable experience and insights about the University of Florida and its goals. These individuals are not members of the Committee, but will be available to Rahul, the Committee and the Board of Trustees for consultation and assistance during the search. I will share the list of advisors in the coming week.

The Search Committee begins its work in a momentous and transformative time for the University of Florida, which today holds the position as a Top 5 public university in the country. UF’s rise in rankings over the past five years is unprecedented, and the next president will have a once-in-a-generation 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. With these distinguished and dedicated committee members in place, we can now begin our presidential search with the focus needed to ensure we identify the best leader to take the University of Florida into the future.

Sincerely,

Morteza “Mori” Hosseini
Chair, University of Florida Board of Trustees