“I embrace yesterday’s announcement from the Board of Governors that the University of Florida and the rest of the State University System will reopen in the fall. The blueprint and timeline from Board of Governors’ chair Syd Kitson and State University System Chancellor Marshall Criser III fit perfectly with the work happening at the University of Florida, where the process of returning our employees to the workplace is already underway.

UF’s institutional recovery teams have been thoughtfully and carefully working out the details to welcome students back, with the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff at the forefront of every decision we make. Their work will form the backbone of the plan that we present to the Board of Governors on June 23, and that will enable students to return to UF.

Guided by the experts at UF Health, we are confident that we can implement smart, comprehensive practices that will enable a thriving, well-functioning campus and surrounding community this fall as the local, state, national and global COVID-19 situations continue to evolve. As our work to create a safer campus environment moves forward, we will keep in regular touch in the weeks ahead about the actions that all of us will be asked to take together as we prepare for August and beyond, and I am optimistic that my fellow Gators will once again rise to the challenge.”