Dear Alumni, Students, Faculty, Staff and Friends of UF,
On May 11, UF’s 15-member Presidential Search Advisory Committee unanimously selected Dr. Stuart Bell as their recommendation to the Board of Trustees. I am delighted to share with you that on Wednesday, June 10, the UF Board of Trustees unanimously approved the nomination of Dr. Stuart Bell as UF’s 14th president.
Dr. Bell is exactly the leader UF needs right now. He is an accomplished academician with a background in mechanical engineering who rose up through the ranks, starting as an assistant professor at the University of Alabama 40 years ago and eventually becoming that institution’s president, serving from 2015 to 2025.
Dr. Bell’s positions along the way include department chair at Alabama, engineering dean at the University of Kansas, and executive vice president and provost at Louisiana State University. It is clear that Dr. Bell understands not only what it takes to manage a large, complex, research university, but also how to lead.
And he couldn’t be taking the helm at UF at a better time as we continue to reach even greater heights. As much time and devotion as it has taken for our presidential search, nothing at UF stood still. I want to share with you some of the highlights from just the past year:
- The University of Florida ranked No. 1 among all the nation’s public and private universities in rankings highlighted by a Wall Street Journal editorial, based on academic rigor, workforce preparation and civil discourse.
- UF ranked as the No. 1 university in North America for agriculture and forestry, according to the AD Scientific Index.
- UF’s College of Pharmacy was No. 1 in the nation this year in total residency matches – 139 – through the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
- According to the most recent U.S. News & World Report national graduate program rankings, the UF College of Education came in at No. 2, the College of Pharmacy ranked No. 4, the College of Veterinary Medicine was No. 6, and the College of Medicine was recognized as one of the nation’s top medical schools, earning a Tier 1 designation for research.
- Forbes Magazine named UF one of the 10 public universities on its 2026 “The New Ivies” list, recognizing institutions leading the nation in artificial intelligence adoption and workforce preparation.
- UF's HiPerGator was again ranked the fastest university-owned supercomputer in the United States and the fastest supercomputer in higher education based on multiple industry-standard benchmarks. This is a result of our investment totaling over $25 million in HiPerGator this year.
- UF set new records in innovation and technology transfer, registering 446 technology disclosures in fiscal year 2025, a substantial increase over the previous year.
- UF received a record 96,011 applications for approximately 7,500 spots in the Class of 2030, representing a 78% increase since 2021 and the most academically qualified pool of admitted students in university history.
- UF raised more than $625 million in new gifts and commitments, making fiscal year 2026 one of the university's strongest fundraising years ever.
- Work is underway to add 10,000 new beds for undergraduate housing. The project, which ultimately will exceed $1 billion, began with the demolition of three 1950s-era housing units. Construction on Phase 1 (rendering below), which will include more than 2,200 beds, is slated to begin next month.
- Progress continued on UF's graduate campus in Jacksonville (rendering below), bringing the transformational project closer to reality.
- The university broke ground for the comprehensive renovation and expansion of the UF College of Dentistry building, adding more than 100,000 square feet of modernized teaching, research and patient care space.
- UF celebrated the future home of the Hamilton School of Classical and Civic Education, breaking ground on a project that will preserve and revitalize the historic former Infirmary building.
- Construction began on the UF/IFAS Center for Applied AI in Agriculture at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm, Florida.
Last but certainly not least, the UF Board of Trustees will be taking the first important steps today toward launching the long-awaited and much anticipated renovation of our beloved Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, aka The Swamp. This $1.45 billion project will breathe new life into one of the nation’s most iconic college football venues and elevate it into the premier collegiate athletic destination that sets the standard for everyone else. More information about the project is available at theswamprenovation.com.
Watch video here.
The message here is crystal clear. The University of Florida is full speed ahead. Thanks to you – our gifted researchers and faculty, our brilliant students and our dedicated staff – and with the generous support of our donors, our governor and the Legislature, the road ahead is brighter than ever.
With Dr. Bell as our next president, nothing can hold us back.
The future belongs to the University of Florida, and the future starts right now.
Mori Hosseini
Chair, University of Florida Board of Trustees
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