UF students say Kent Fuchs was welcoming president, express hopes for his successor

As Kent Fuchs wraps up his final semester as University of Florida president, some students say they appreciate his work in the position but hope his successor will make changes.

After seven years of serving as UF's president, Fuchs plans to leave his administrative role by the end of this year and become a professor within the College of Engineering. Some UF students will miss his eagerness to be involved in the student community. 

"I met him just the other day and his personality, he's just so welcoming to students as a president … As a first-generation (student), I feel like he played a great role," said Megan Wright, a second-year student at UF. 

Wright said she hopes the next president pours more resources into student services and creates a dedicated campus space for first-generation students. 

Other students echoed Wright, requesting more student resources such as additional places to study along with less construction and more accessible parking. 

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In January, Fuchs announced that he would be stepping down from his role as the 12th president of UF. The move led to the creation of a 14-member search committee made up of trustees, faculty, administrators, alumni and an undergraduate student.

A UF spokesperson said that between October and November, a list of names is expected to be released of who would be vying to be president.

One grad student says Fuchs should've been more aggressive advocate

Bryn Taylor, a graduate assistant, said she agrees with other students that Fuchs comes off as kind and empathetic, but would have like to see him take more of an aggressive role when it comes to helping grad students and dealing with the board of trustees. 

"I really do think he cares about the student population but I feel like when he's facing the board of trustees, he didn't stand up for graduate assistants as much as we would like," Taylor said. "Sometimes it feels like he's more beholden to them and to the state."

Taylor, who also serves as co-president of the Graduate Assistants United union, said that she would also like to see the next president come from an academic background.

"With all the academic freedom violations UF has had in the last year, it's very much a concern that the new appointment is going to be political," Taylor said.

Fuchs was provost of Cornell University before he became UF president in January 2015. His tenure has included UF achieving long-sought goals such as being named among the nation’s top-five public universities and surpassing $1 billion in research spending.

But questions about political interference have hung over UF since it was revealed last fall that faculty were barred from testifying in court against policies backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature. 

Taylor said she wants the next president to advocate more for faculty members. 

"I very much want a president that is looking towards the interest of faculty, staff and graduate assistants, even in the face of growing political pressure from the state," Taylor said. 

Peter Acosta, a third-year student at UF, said Fuchs did a great job during his time as president, recalling the times when the president would help students move into their dorms and how he got the university to a sustained ranking among the top five public universities in the country.

Acosta, who is a member of Lambda Theta Phi fraternity, said Fuchs would regularly have dinner with his frat brothers. 

"They always leave on a positive note. They say he's a very cool person, very chill and very welcoming," Acosta said. 

Acosta said he would like tosee the next president tackle a lack of parking. 

"There's no parking," Acosta said. "You know even when parking hours are lifted, you still have to park outside of campus and walk."

Louis Rodriguez, a first-year student, said "it's a shame" President Fuchs is leaving because he was close with the student body. Rodriguez said the next president should carry on Fuchs' legacy of being engaged with the student body.  

"I know that you can't really devote too much time to students, but just having a conversation with students and helping students when they need anything and really connect with the organizations," Rodriguez said.

Gershon Harrell is an education reporter at The Gainesville Sun. He can be reached by phone at (352) 338-3166, by email at Gharrell@gannett.com or on Twitter at @GershonReports.