Dear faculty and staff, 

Happy Monday to y’all – except anyone with Knoxville connections or affections.  

Wanted to share two things:

First, The Wall Street Journal named The University of Florida the No. 1 public university in the country. This is a great recognition of our faculty’s incredible work and this special community. This ranking is especially encouraging because it places special emphasis on real-world student outcomes. 

We’re committed to providing an elite education that is radically practical. No other public university has the opportunity and dynamism that we have. Being No. 1 is an honor — but also a challenge. We’ve got more work to do, and I’m glad to pull oars with you.

Second, Dr. Penny Schwinn will join UF in a new position as Vice President for PK-12 and Pre-Bachelors Programs. Dr. Schwinn will be working to take more of UF’s amazing and life-changing work into K-12 classrooms across the state. She comes to us from Tennessee, where she was the first person of color to serve as Commissioner of Education. (Because it’s game week, I should clarify that, thankfully, she has no Volunteers’ degrees.)

I’m grateful for the work you’re doing and the opportunities we’ve got ahead of us. Go Gators!