The Graduate School < University of Florida

Missions, Visions, and Values

Mission of the University

The University of Florida is a comprehensive learning institution built on a land-grant foundation. We are The Gator Nation, a diverse community dedicated to excellence in education and research and shaping a better future for Florida, the nation, and the world.

Our mission is to enable our students to lead and influence the next generation and beyond for economic, cultural, and societal benefit.

The University welcomes the full exploration of its intellectual boundaries and supports its faculty and students in the creation of new knowledge and the pursuit of new ideas.

Teaching is a fundamental purpose of this University at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Research and scholarship are integral to the educational process and to the expansion of our understanding of the natural world, the intellect and the senses.
Service reflects the University's obligation to share the benefits of its research and knowledge for the public good. The University serves the nation's and the state's critical needs by contributing to a well-qualified and broadly diverse citizenry, leadership and workforce.

The University of Florida must create the broadly diverse environment necessary to foster multicultural skills and perspectives in its teaching and research for its students to contribute and succeed in the world of the 21st century.

These three interlocking elements — teaching, research and scholarship, and service — span all the University's academic disciplines and represent the University's commitment to lead and serve the state of Florida, the nation, and the world by pursuing and disseminating new knowledge while building upon the experiences of the past. The University aspires to advance by strengthening the human condition and improving the quality of life.

Vision, Mission, and Values of the Graduate School

Our Vision

To be a model of excellence for supporting and advancing graduate education worldwide

Our Mission

To ensure the integrity and value of graduate education and elevate the overall graduate student experience

Our Core Values

Integrity

Advocacy

Inclusion

Collaboration

Innovation

Graduate School Administration

Nicole L. P. Stedman
Ph.D. (University of Florida), Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Provost

Tom Kelleher
Ph.D. (University of Florida), Associate Dean, Academic Affairs

Judy Traveis
Ph.D. (University of Florida), Associate Dean, Student Affairs

Please find information regarding the Graduate School's current organization of offices and historical information about the previous Deans and history below. For biographical and contact information for the Graduate School's staff, consult the Graduate School Personnel pages on the UF Graduate School's website. For assistance, please reach out using the Graduate School's Contact Form.

Organization

The Graduate School currently consists of the Dean , an Associate Dean for Academic Affairs , an Associate Dean for Student Affairs, the Graduate Council , the Graduate Faculty, and the Graduate School staff. The Graduate School is responsible for establishing, monitoring, and enforcing minimum general standards of graduate study in the University and for coordinating the graduate programs of the various colleges and divisions of the University.

Responsibility for the detailed operation of graduate programs is vested in individual colleges, schools, divisions, and academic units. In most colleges, an associate dean or other administrator is directly responsible for graduate studies in that college. General policies and standards of the Graduate School are established by the Graduate Faculty as represented by the Graduate Council. Policy changes must be approved by the graduate dean(s) and the Graduate Council. The Graduate Council (chaired by the Graduate Dean) considers graduate education policy and policy changes and the creation of or revisions to graduate degree programs, majors, concentrations, certificates, and other graduate education initiatives. For information regarding appointment to the graduate faculty, please visit https://gradcatalog.ufl.edu/graduate/faculty.

The Graduate School Staff

The Graduate School is organized into two central units:

Academic Affairs, which includes
- IT Systems
- Curriculum and Programs
- Admissions and Transfer Credits
- Academic Career Tracking

Graduate Student Success Center, which includes
- Graduate Student Support and Engagement
- Graduate Professional Development
- Postdoctoral Affairs & Prestigious Awards
- Grad Care
- Graduate Student Recruitment
- Thesis, Dissertation, and Publication

Graduate Academic Affairs

The Academic Affairs team serves graduate programs across campus by implementing policies and best practices for units to develop curriculum and support students in successful academic journeys from admission to graduation.

IT Systems maintains and enhances online database systems that track both individual and institutional performance in graduate education at UF.
Curriculum and Programs manages graduate curricular proposals, coaches academic units through the proposal process, provides logistical support for the Graduate Council and Graduate Curriculum Committee meetings, and curates, updates, and publishes the Graduate Catalog and its academic calendar.
Admissions and Transfer Credits manages graduate conditional and special exception admissions, transfers of credit, and master’s degree acknowledgments.
Academic Career Tracking oversees graduate students’ academic careers, including graduate degree audits, degree evaluation, and degree certification.

Graduate Student Success Center

The Graduate Student Success Center was created with the graduate student at its core. The center is here to enhance the graduate student experience by promoting holistic development and creating a culture of belonging. The values that shape their work include integrity, service, advocacy, empathy, collaboration, and innovation.

The Graduate Student Success Center was established to support potential graduate students, current students, faculty, and staff in the areas of

Graduate Student Support and Engagement by building and sustaining an inclusive community that provides comprehensive graduate student support and engagement services to promote academic success, personal development, and social well-being so our graduates can transform the global economy
Graduate Professional Development by providing professional development activities and programs for UF graduate students
Postdoctoral Affairs & Prestigious Awards by offering direction to UF’s Post-Doctoral Affairs Office, maintaining oversight of individual development plans and human resource needs and creating and maintaining active lists of funding opportunities for graduate students, as well as providing assistance in the completion of funding award packets
Grad Care, a non-clinical case manager role created through the collaboration of the UF Graduate School and UF Student Life Office, by helping graduate students overcome challenges impacting their personal and academic success at the University of Florida
Graduate Student Recruitment by assisting and advising graduate programs on ways to increase domestic and international graduate student enrollment
Thesis, Dissertation, and Publication by assisting with the formatting and submission process for students submitting a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation to the Graduate School

For more information or questions about the Graduate School’s organization, visit https://grad.ufl.edu/about/team/ or use the Graduate School Contact Form found here: https://grad.ufl.edu/contact-us/.

Graduate Council

The Graduate Council, chaired by the Dean, is a joint committee established by the President and the Faculty Senate. The Council establishes general policies and standards of the Graduate School and assists the dean of the Graduate School in the execution of policies related to graduate study and associated research. Graduate School staff provide support to the council by reviewing and editing all proposals submitted by administrative and/or academic units to ensure they comply with Graduate Council policy.

The Graduate Council consists of twelve members of the Graduate Faculty, a graduate student elected by the Graduate Student Council, and the Dean of the Graduate School. Six of the twelve faculty members of the Graduate Council are elected by the Graduate Faculty, and six are appointed by the Provost. All members serve for overlapping three-year terms, aside from the Graduate School Dean (permanent chair) and the graduate student representative (one year).

Nicole L. P. Stedman, Chair
Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Provost

Graduate Council 2025-2026

Members Elected by Graduate Faculty:

Dr. Jörg Bungert
UF Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Dr. James Jawitz
UF Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
Dr. Abdoulaye Kane
UF Department of Anthropology and Center for African Studies
Dr. Michael Martinez
UF Department of Political Science
Dr. Connie Mulligan
UF Department of Anthropology
Dr. Pilar Useche
UF Department of Food and Resource Economics and Center for Latin American Studies

Members Appointed by the Provost:

Dr. Hitomi Greenslet
UF Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Dr. Chris Janiszewski
UF Department of Marketing
Dr. Andrei Kirilenko
UF Department of Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management
Dr. Linjuan Rita Men
UF Department of Public Relations
Dr. Joni Williams Splett
UF School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies
Dr. Weizhou Zhang
UF Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine

Graduate Student Council Representative:

Fatima Akinola
UF Department of Mathematics

Graduate Student Council Representative Alternate:

Ali Mahmoudi
UF Department of Interior Design

History

Graduate study at UF existed while the University was still on its Lake City campus. However, the first graduate degrees, two Master of Arts with a major in English, were awarded on the Gainesville campus in 1906. The first Master of Science was awarded in 1908, with a major in entomology. The first programs leading to the Ph.D. were approved in 1930, and the first degrees were awarded in 1934, one with a major in chemistry and the other with a major in pharmacy. The first Ed.D. was awarded in 1948. Graduate study has grown phenomenally at UF. In 1930, 33 degrees were awarded in 12 fields. In 1940, 66 degrees were awarded in 16 fields. Over the 2023-2024 academic year, UF awarded 6229 graduate degrees in more than 239 fields, including 757 Ph.D. degrees.

UF Graduate School Deans and Years of Service

Graduate Deans and Years of Service
Years of Service	Graduate Deans
June 2021 to Present	Nicole L. P. Stedman, Dean
May 2007 to May 2021	Henry T. Frierson, Dean
2004-2007	Kenneth J. Gerhardt, Interim Dean
1999-2004	Winfred M. Phillips, Dean
1998-1999	M. Jack Ohanian, Interim Dean
1993-1998	Karen A. Holbrook, Dean
July-September 1993	Gene W. Hemp, Acting Dean
1985-1993	Madelyn M. Lockhart, Dean
1983-1985	Donald R. Price, Acting Dean
September 1982-January 1983	Gene W. Hemp, Acting Dean
1980-1982	Francis G. Stehli, Dean
1979-1980	F. Michael Wahl, Acting Dean
1973-1979	Harry H. Sisler, Dean
1971-1973	Alex G. Smith, Acting Dean
1969-1971	Harold P. Hanson, Dean
1952-1969	L. E. Grinter, Dean
1951-1952	C. F. Byers, Acting Dean
1938-1951	T. M. Simpson, Dean
1930-1938	James N. Anderson, Dean

Governance of the University

Florida State Board of Education

The Department of Education is here to increase the proficiency of all students within one seamless, efficient system by providing them with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills through learning opportunities and research valued by students, parents, and communities and to maintain an accountability system that measures student progress.

Chair, Ryan Petty
Vice Chair, Esther Byrd
Grazie P. Christie
Layla Collins
Daniel P. Foganholi, Sr.
Kelly Garcia
MaryLynn Magar

Florida Board of Governors

The Board of Governors comprises seventeen members, fourteen of whom are appointed by the Florida Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate for a term of seven years. The remaining members include the Chair of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates, the Commissioner of Education, and the Chair of the Florida Student Association. The Board oversees the operation and management of the Florida public university system’s twelve institutions.

Anastasios Kamoutsas
Commissioner of Education
Brian Lamb
Chair
Alan Levine
Vice-Chair

Additional Members:

Ashley Bell Barnett
Timothy M. Cerio
Carson Dale
Kimberly Dunn
Aubrey Edge
Patricia Frost
Carson Good
Edward Haddock
Ken Jones
Charles H. Lydecker
Craig Mateer
Jose Oliva
Paul Renner
Eric Silagy

Contact a member of the Board of Governors

Board of Governors
State University System of Florida
325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1614
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400

University of Florida Board of Trustees

The UF Board of Trustees is the public body corporate of the University. It sets policy for the institution and serves as the institution's legal owner and final authority. The UF Board of Trustees holds the institution's resources in trust and is responsible for their efficient and effective use. The UF Board of Trustees consists of six citizen members appointed by the Governor and five citizen members appointed by the Board of Governors. The Chair of the Faculty Senate and the President of the Student Body are also voting members. For more information, visit https://trustees.ufl.edu.

Morteza “Mori” Hosseini, Chair
Rahul Patel, Vice Chair

David L. Brandon
Richard P. Cole
Christopher T. Corr
Blake E. Cox
Jed V. Davis
Luisa Amelia Dempere
James W. Heavener
Daniel T. O'Keefe
Marsha D. Powers
Fred S. Ridley
Patrick O. Zalupski