The University of North Florida Board of Trustees unanimously approved President Moez Limayem’s legislative budget request for $25 million in recurring state funding for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
During the July 24 BOT meeting, Limayem explained that the proposed funding would support UNF’s strategic growth plans, including expanding enrollment to 25,000 students and strengthening programs in high-demand fields like advanced manufacturing, transportation, logistics and healthcare.
At the university level, a legislative budget request (LBR) is a formal funding proposal submitted to the Florida Board of Governors and ultimately the state legislature. It outlines priority needs requiring state investment and must first be approved by the institution’s board of trustees.
As of Spring 2025, UNF had 15,739 enrolled students, according to data provided by a university spokesperson in April. Additionally, UNF’s fall enrollment has been on the decline since its peak in 2019, according to the university’s enrollment dashboard. However, Limayem remains optimistic about growth.
“We are predicting very strong enrollment this year, probably one of the strongest, if not the strongest, enrollment in the history of UNF,” Limayem said. “If we keep increasing that denominator without increasing the numerators or the state investment, we’re going to fall behind to be almost the last or the one before last in the state.”’
Spinnaker is currently working to obtain prospective enrollment data for Fall 2025. The official number of enrolled students will not be available until the end of fall Add/Drop week, according to a university spokesperson.
Past Funding Years
Limayem’s request is a smaller ask than the university’s 2025-26 LBR and comes after a year of decreased funding.
“For 2025-26, we asked for $30 million, we got $8 million non-recurring,” Limayem said. “We’re going to go back to consistently asking for $25 million recurring.”
Limayem gave a brief history of the university’s previous budget requests at the beginning of his presentation. UNF’s previous LBRs saw varying results: in 2023-24, the university received $25 million recurring out of a $52 million request. For 2024-25, it received $5 million recurring and $14 million non-recurring.
During the meeting, Scott Bennett, UNF’s Vice President for Administration and Finance, said the $25 million represents “about a 14- [to] 15-percent increase” in the university’s state appropriation.
Allocation of Funding
UNF President Moez Limayem said the university’s top priority for the proposed funding is hiring more faculty to support different academic areas and maintain its student-focused environment.
Limayem also pointed to the need for additional support staff, including advisors, mental health counselors, IT personnel and campus police. Additionally, the request includes plans to enhance undergraduate and graduate programs and increase merit-based scholarships for students.
“That reputation of UNF as a safety school is no longer the case, but it’s a journey,” Limayem said. “We need to attract the best and the brightest.”
Board Chair Kevin Hyde gave his support of the budget request and highlighted the importance of aligning funding priorities with UNF’s long-term goals.
“I see that we are, as we always do, but really this year, we’re really emphasizing our strategic areas of emphasis,” said Board Chair Kevin Hyde. “So that we can tell our legislators that we are spending what we put in our strategy plan and that’s what we’re asking you to fund.”
After a brief discussion, Trustee Paul McElroy moved to approve the request, with a second by Trustee Nik Patel. The board voted unanimously in favor.
As the vote concluded, Limayem joked, “Now the real work begins. Now the difficulty is done. The easy part is to go and get $25 million.”
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