About Interim President Fuchs
Dr. Kent Fuchs began serving as interim president of the University of Florida August 1. A professor in the UF department of electrical and computer engineering, he was the university’s 12th president from 2015 to 2023.
Dr. Fuchs led UF into the ranks of the nation’s best public universities during his tenure, with the university’s stature increasing more than any other research university in the nation. Among other advancements, UF topped $1 billion in annual research, surpassed $4.6 billon in philanthropy, and created and filled more than 600 new faculty positions, establishing national prominence in artificial intelligence and other areas of strategic importance.
Previous to the UF presidency, Dr. Fuchs was provost of Cornell University. He also served in academic leadership positions and as a faculty member of electrical and computer engineering at Cornell, Purdue and the University of Illinois.
He has been elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association for Computing Machinery and has received numerous awards for teaching and research.
He earned his doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois, and a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Duke University.
When Fuchs was appointed interim by the UF Board of Trustees in July, he said his goal was continue to advance the university, plant the seeds of success for UF’s next permanent president, and join everyone in the UF community in working hard, having fun and experiencing joy.