A Message From the Dean

Florida Tomorrow. It’s more than a catchy name for UF’s third capital campaign. Add an exclamation point, and it’s an emphatic cheer for the Gator Nation. “Florida Tomorrow!” is about building on UF’s position as one of the nation’s best public universities. Whether measuring the quality of students, faculty or athletic success, we have a strong foundation to propel us into the future.

We are confident and enthusiastic about “Florida Tomorrow!” because of the groundwork that has been laid in the past. Today, the Warrington College of Business Administration serves more undergraduates than almost any other college at UF. Looking back over the past 30 years, we have met our mandate to provide the highest quality education, despite limited resources. In fact, as in so many cases, necessity was the mother of invention. The budget limitations and burgeoning population of students in the 1970s pushed us to change the way we teach business forever. In the 1990s, when technology caught up with our vision, we introduced programs delivered over the Internet. Our electronic platform programs are widely recognized for their innovation and quality.

But, in the end, faculty are at the heart of what we do. By focusing on recruiting and retaining quality faculty, we have excelled in national and international rankings. Graduate students and undergraduates alike benefit from faculty research and interaction with industry. We foster this interaction to produce graduates with the teamwork and decision-making skills that make organizations effective and profitable. We also focus on teaching ethics and servant leadership, so that our graduates develop into leaders in their communities.

Being in the business of developing leaders naturally leads one to think about the future. So we must also add a question mark and ponder “Florida Tomorrow?” when designing a curriculum that will serve our students today and in their future careers. What will classes without walls — and our students — look like 20 years from now, or 50 years? What kind of global visibility and position will UF and the state of Florida have in a world with a borderless economy?

These are big questions, and as we approach our second century of educating business leaders, we know what it takes to be a top tier business school. Our strategy is to be ahead of the curve in defining and providing the skill sets for success, and preparing our students for “what comes next,” no matter what “next” is. With your support of the Florida Tomorrow campaign, you have the power to prepare us to meet that challenge.

Sincerely,

John Kraft
Dean, Warrington College of Business Administration