Recapping the meet-and-greets: What you need to know
May 7, 2022
The candidates for the University of North Florida’s presidential search have been narrowed down to four men: David Blackwell, David Brennen, Moez Limayem and Marc Miller. The university’s seventh president will be chosen in the following weeks.
Each of the four met with students, staff and faculty members separately during the past two weeks. The meet-and-greets were held to answer questions and address concerns. Spinnaker has recapped each of the candidates’ sessions.
Marc Miller
“I’ve heard some things, but I want to hear more,” Miller said numerous times across his three meet-and-greet sessions. Creating an atmosphere focused on learning and understanding, he discussed his willingness to hear new ideas, saying, “I never want hierarchy or a title to be a barrier [to ideas].”
- Accessibility is key to Miller, and he said there will always be an open door policy if he gets the role.
- Miller gave out his phone number to students, faculty, staff, and media. He encouraged everyone to reach out if they had questions. He said it might take some time to respond, but he will respond. Contact Marc Miller at 520-820-9902.
- He suggested many ideas for engaging the surrounding community with UNF’s campus and used the University of Arizona’s campus, where he currently works, as an example.
- The student session focused heavily on student engagement and involvement. The faculty session centered around faculty voices and the state’s relationship with UNF.
- He believes digital engagement is an “incredibly important part of modern growth “ and “opens doorways.”
- Miller envisions a UNF that builds programs that have longevity and one that develops a way for sustainable “philanthropic dollars.”
“I don’t come with a checkbook or magic money,” he said. “I come with ideas.”
Check out his resume here.
David Blackwell
Blackwell frequently spoke on the need for student engagement, saying if he were president, he would do “a lot of walking around campus, walking into buildings, talking to people. That’s got to be an everyday thing up front.”
- Increasing student engagement and interaction with everyday campus life
- Finding fundraising sources and opportunities to support campus services like the Counseling Center.
- Utilizing analytics to understand student’s academic and financial struggles and then using the data to help students, specifically with finances and building a sense of belonging
- Achieving greater national visibility and larger enrollment to help students even after graduation
- Grow UNF through “more aggressive branding and promotion.”
“I think one thing that’s missing is more national visibility and global visibility for the university […] that has the benefit of helping students succeed after graduation,” Blackwell elaborated.
Check out his resume here.
David Brennen
[Eds Note: This meet-and-greet happened over Zoom because Brennen was out of the country so Spinnaker was unable to get photos.]
“I think, in an educational environment, the best way to learn is [from] different disciplines and by having the different disciplines come together,” Brennen said. “What’s the use in having a university with five different colleges if they’re not interacting?”
- Brennen suggested UNF’s College of Health and College of Business collaborate and provide classes focused on healthcare administration.
- Acknowledged UNF’s lack of growth and noted that it would face future challenges of increasing enrollment
- Described the need to invest in faculty and research
- He used the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of how the world can change and showed a need to teach creativity and communication skills.
- Retaining students is the key to university-wide growth
“To the extent that we’re able to retain the students that we have enrolled in the freshman year, that’s going to necessarily help us to grow as an institution,” said Brennen. “Once you discover the reasons [why] students are leaving your institution, that informs you about what you can do to help them.”
Check out his resume here.
Moez Limayem
“For me, academic freedom is the sole foundation of our university. […] It’s about educating students to think critically. How can you think critically if you’re not exposed to different points of view?”
- Accountability in teaching by making sure all points of view are taught and encouraging civil discourse.
- Creating relationships in Tallahassee to secure more funding and taking advantage of market-based and cost recovery programs
- Growing UNF “strategically” by recruiting out of state and international students while still trying to represent the community
- Spoke on the importance of diversity training and described that universities need to take action beyond releasing statements saying they support diversity and inclusion.
- Creating a sense of belonging for all students, recognizing that certain groups face discrimination
“I think that’s the responsibility of your president, to have a climate here and a platform where people, regardless of who they are, their sexual orientation, color of their skin […] even mental diversity, everybody has to feel welcome in a place like UNF. It’s not easy, it’s a journey.”
Check out his resume here.
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