U. of Florida Gets Go-Ahead on Plan to Fill 100 New Faculty Positions

The University of Florida on Thursday won state approval, along with some financial help, for its plan to hire some 100 faculty members to fill new positions it will create as part of a push to join the nation’s top 10 public research institutions, the university announced.

The approval, from the statewide Board of Governors, means the university can count on an additional $15-million a year over the next five years in state support for its UF Preeminence Plan. The university says it will match that amount, and complement it with up to $800-million more that its fund-raising arm is seeking to bring in.

Lifting the university to top-10 status has long been a goal of the institution’s president, J. Bernard Machen, and a pledge from Gov. Rick Scott to put state resources behind that quest was key to Dr. Machen’s decision earlier this year to stay on as president, after having announced plans to retire.