With the candidates announced, the University of North Florida presidential search committee is moving on to its next stage: introducing the candidates to the campus community. 

A meet and greet schedule, released Wednesday morning, details three separate sessions that each candidate will have to meet students, faculty and staff. Beginning Friday, all but a single meeting will wrap up one short week later on May 5. 

Three of the four candidates have already expressed their excitement about meeting with students, faculty and staff over the next couple of weeks. The fourth candidate, Dr. Moez Limayem, was unavailable for comment. 

After the meet and greet sessions wrap up on May 16, surveys will be available for the entire community to give their opinions on the candidates they met. These surveys will be posted on the finalists’ webpage here. The UNF Board of Trustees (BOT) will review the resulting feedback during their meetings the following week. 

With student, faculty and staff interviews finished by that point, the BOT will begin their own interviews of the finalists that will run from May 13-14. These interviews will be conducted in the Talon Room of the Osprey Commons (Building 16), according to information provided on the committee website. At the time of writing, there is no confirmation on what exact times the meetings will happen but UNF has confirmed that they will be open to the public. 

The final BOT meeting, listed online, will take place on May 16 in room 1058 of the Herbert University Center (Building 43) at an unspecified time. UNF administration has confirmed that the meeting will be open to the public. This looks to be the last BOT meeting of the presidential search process, and UNF’s next president will presumably be announced shortly thereafter.  

The Schedule 

Friday, April 29, 2022 — Marc Miller

Candidate Marc Miller will be on-campus to meet with the UNF community through a series of three meetings, two of which will have virtual options. Staff will be able to meet Miller at 10:30 a.m. in the Talon Room. Join the meeting online here. 

Students will be treated to free pizza if they attend the noon meet and greet with Miller in classroom 2102A/B on the second floor of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library (Building 12). There will be no virtual option. 

Wrapping up the first series of interactive sessions, faculty will be able to meet the candidate starting at 2 p.m. back in the Talon Room. This final meeting will have an online option, accessible here. 

“I am excited by the opportunity, and the fascinating history, great strengths, and unlimited potential that UNF presents,” Miller wrote about his bid for UNF’s next president in an email last week. 

Tuesday, May 3, 2022 — Dr. David Blackwell

Kicking off finals week, the campus will have the opportunity to meet Dr. David Blackwell, the second of four presidential candidates, on Tuesday. The staff session with Dr. Blackwell will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Talon Room. Join the Zoom webinar here.

UNF is once again offering pizza at the student meet and greet with Dr. Blackwell on the second floor of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library in classroom 2102A/B at noon on Tuesday. There will be no virtual option to attend.

Faculty members will be able to meet with Dr. Blackwell at 2 p.m. in the Talon Room. A virtual Zoom webinar will be available at that time, accessible here. 

“I am looking forward to visiting campus and getting to know more about the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of UNF,” Dr. Blackwell wrote in an email about his candidacy last week. 

Thursday, May 5, 2022, & May 12, 2022 — David Brennen

Nearing the end of the meet and greets, faculty can virtually meet David Brennen at 9 a.m. next Thursday. There will be no in-person option, according to information provided by UNF. Attend the virtual meeting here. 

Students are invited to meet Brennen at 10:30 a.m. next Thursday over a Zoom webinar. Pizza will not be available due to this online setting. Visit the session by clicking here. 

Unlike the rest of the community, university staff will have to wait another full week before being able to meet Brennen on Thursday, May 12, 2022. However, this meeting will happen in person at 10:30 p.m. in the Talon Room. A virtual option is available here. 

Spinnaker asked UNF why Brennen was unable to have in-person sessions across the board, like the other candidates. 

“Brennen had long-standing travel plans, and it was important to have opportunities with faculty and students prior to the end of the semester on May 6,” UNF Media Relations Manager Amanda Ennis said over email. 

“I look forward to partnering with the UNF community in unlocking the fullness of this potential,” Brennen wrote in an email after his candidacy was announced last week. 

Thursday, May 5, 2022 — Moez Limayem

Running the same day as Brennen’s initial sessions, the campus community will be able to meet Dr. Moez Limayem on Thursday, May 5, 2022. The first meet and greet session will be open to students at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 5, 2022, in classroom 2102A/B on the second floor of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library (Building 12). Pizza is being offered, but there is no virtual attendance option. 

Three hours later, the UNF faculty will be able to meet Dr. Limayem at 2:30 p.m. in the Talon Room. The meeting is in-person, but a Zoom webinar will be available here.

Finally, university staff can meet Dr. Limayem at 4 p.m. in the Talon Room. Like the rest, the meeting will be in-person and have an accompanying Zoom webinar available here for those unable to attend.

This is a constantly developing story. Stay with Spinnaker for updates on the search. 

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