Incoming UF president targets money sources

James Bernard Machen says state revenue, tuition funding and private donations must be strengthened for UF to move to the next level.

GAINESVILLE - The University of Florida needs more state support, higher tuition and more private dollars to move into the realm of being a world-class institution, incoming president James Bernard Machen said.

Machen, 59, was selected Oct. 8 to succeed Charles Young, who is retiring, as UF president. Machen, now president of the University of Utah, will move into the president's office in Tigert Hall in January. Meanwhile, he plans frequent trips to Gainesville to learn more about the state's flagship university.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Machen appeared to be most concerned about the university's budget.

"We've got to look at the revenue base here," Machen said. "We are underfunded from state revenues, our tuition revenues are inadequate and private support needs to be a focus for this place.

"One of my major jobs, I think, is to help expand the resources that we have to make some moves in a positive direction."

Tuition is a thorny issue; students attending Florida's 11 public universities faced an 8.5 percent tuition increase this fall.

But Machen said they need to pay more.

"The tuition at the University of Florida is too low for the quality of education that is available here," Machen said. "Students couldn't get this education for 10 times what they are paying if they went to a private school. They are getting an incredible benefit here."

Increased funding from the Legislature is another goal of Machen's.

"There is a huge economic component we bring to the state," he said. "Society might be more willing to invest in education as an adjunct to economic development."

The University of Florida also needs to do a better job of selling itself, Machen said.

"I don't think we are perceived as a statewide institution," Machen said, although the university has facilities in every Florida county through the Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences and its medical school. "We haven't always gotten credit for what is going on."

The third area of funding is private donations. In 2001, the university raised $854-million in a capital campaign. Its trustees have been talking about a new $1-billion capital campaign.

"We haven't decided how big or when," Machen said. "By the time one was ramped up here, it would be a year or two out, even if the decision was made today. There's a lot of back room stuff you have to do before you can do a campaign."

Machen said UF, with 48,000 students, is about twice as large as the University of Utah, which has 29,000.

Machen believes Florida can reach its goal of being one of the nation's top public research universities.

"I think ... this university is going to take its place as one of the premiere universities in the world," he said.

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