GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida President Kent Fuchs announced Wednesday that 2022 will be his final year in office and that he plans to return to the classroom.
Fuchs, 67, said in a video address that he informed Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini of his decision last August, and they agreed to make it public this month. He said he will stay on until a replacement is chosen, which he expects will be in early 2023. He then plans to teach electrical and computer engineering.
“I am so grateful for the privilege I have had to serve UF,” Fuch said in the video.
Since taking office in 2015, Fuchs has raised UF’s profile as one of the nation’s top public universities, added 600 members to the faculty and raised over $4 billion from donors. But the last few months have been marked by controversy as his administration barred three professors from testifying in a lawsuit on behalf of civic groups challenging the state’s new election laws, which they say would restrict voting rights.