Cornell Provost Kent Fuchs named president of University of Florida
by Jeff Stein October 15, 2014 October 15, 2014
Ithaca, N.Y. — Cornell Provost Kent Fuchs will be leaving his position to become president of the University of Florida.
A statement from President David Skorton released Wednesday did not say when Fuchs would leave his current job. Skorton said a replacement would be announced by Oct. 31.
Skorton himself will be leaving the university presidency soon, meaning the university's top two positions will soon be held by new leaders.
Provost Kent Fuchs
Skorton's statement said:
"Kent's first years as Cornell provost coincided with the start of the economic recession, one of the most challenging times in our history. His leadership and insights helped us to make the necessary, and often difficult decisions to reduce our expenditures wisely. Thanks in large part to Kent's clear vision for the future, the University found creative ways to hire and retain diverse, outstanding faculty and maintain its strong academic profile. The University's strategic plan, Reimagining Cornell, and our new budget model are also important components of his legacy.
Perhaps Kent's greatest legacy as provost will be the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island. More than any other individual, Kent's foresight and determination resulted in our successful bid to establish Cornell Tech.
We will greatly miss his leadership, intellect and thoughtful, principled actions. Personally, I am excited for Kent and look forward to our continuing partnership as we each continue to contribute to the advancement of education and research at a national level.
Please join me in congratulating Kent for his 12-plus years of service to Cornell, for a job well done, and a new position well deserved.
We will be updating this story later.
Jeff Stein
Jeff Stein is the founder and former editor of the Ithaca Voice. More by Jeff Stein