UF Honors Program seeks new director for college

Gershon Harrell, The Gainesville Sun
·3 min read

The University of Florida’s Honors Program is on the hunt for a new director after terminating the previous one last fall.

The program will have a 19-member search committee to find a permanent director by mid-May and all meetings will be open for public input where students can participate in on-campus interviews.

The Independent Florida Alligator first reported the formation of the search committee.

In an email, UF’s associate provost for undergraduate affairs, Angela Lindner, said the search committee has a very strong student representation and they represent “various aspects of the honors program.”

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It’s unclear when the on-campus interviews will take place, but Lindner said it should be announced through UF soon.

Kevin Knudson, chair and professor in the department of mathematics, will lead the search committee.

The full search committee members are:

  • Connie Mulligan, a professor in the Anthropology Department.

  • Sarah Westen, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Child and Pediatric Psychology.

  • Ryan Good, an affiliate faculty, geography and UF Water Institute, SNRE, CALS.

  • Lauren Hodges, an associate professor of viola in the School of Music.

  • Mary Parker, a vice president of enrollment management and associate provost.

  • Kristopher Klann, assistant dean and director in the Center of New Student, Parent and Family Engagement.

  • TehQuin Forbes, honors recruitment and transitions coordinator in the honors program.

  • Tina Horvath, a senior director of student housing.

  • Jason Mastrogiovanni, an assistant provost of UF Student Success.

  • Matthew Fiore, assistant director of development in UF Advancement

  • Five honor program students.

One of the qualifications for the job, is that the candidate must hold a doctorate degree and have at least 10-years of experience teaching.

Melissa Johnson, who has served in the program for 15-years, is the current interim-director of the program.

Termination of the previous Director

Mark Law, the former Honors Program director, was removed from his position without cause in August by UF Provost Joseph Glover.

He held the position since 2014.

Law had never previously had a low performance review and had support from top administrators, including UF President Kent Fuchs.

Glover later said the UF board of trustees lost confidence in Law’s leadership as director of the program and that the decision to remove him was his alone.

There was speculation that his removal had to do with gender-neutral bathrooms that would be in the new Honors Village that's scheduled for completion in August 2023. Law, however, said that nothing controversial about the bathrooms was discussed for his dismissal. Rather, he added, it was about the architectural design.

Law is still a tenured faculty member at UF and serves as a distinguished professor in the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Gershon Harrell is an education reporter at The Gainesville Sun. He can be reached by phone at (352)338-3166, by email at Gharrell@gannett.com or on Twitter at @GershonReports.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Search committee formed to find new UF Honors Program director