Wes Wolfe
The State University System Board of Governors has put their stamp on Moez Limayem becoming the next President of the University of North Florida (UNF).
Limayem comes to Jacksonville from Tampa, where he was the Lynn Pippenger Dean in the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida (USF).
“I am honored to join the University of North Florida and eager to listen, learn and work with all members of the community to grow opportunities to help students succeed,” Limayem said in a statement. “UNF is a top provider of talent in Florida, and I am committed to building on the University’s many strengths to effectively serve the region and state.”
Limayem, in his time as Dean at USF, was responsible for raising more than $126 million, including a number of multimillion-dollar gifts, along with helping raise the freshman retention rate to 95% and leading USF’s efforts in career preparation, internships and talent development.
“I think one of the priorities we looked at, as a Board, was their ability to raise money,” UNF Trustee Nik Patel said before the Trustees’ vote on Limayem in May.
“When I say raise money, it’s not just, ‘Hey, raise money,’ it’s what goes along with that. To be a successful fundraiser, you have to partner with the business, the business has to like you, you have to show strategic vision. The success that he showed at USF, I think, will translate very well here.”
Limayem became a person of some influence during his time in Tampa, arriving there from University of Arkansas where he was the assistant dean of the University’s business school. He was named this year to Tampa Business Journal’s Power 100 list of the city’s most influential business leaders, and he serves on the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors.
Limayem will take over for Interim President Pam Chally on Aug. 1, who’s served in that role since September.
