International Center University of Florida

During his State of the University address of August 25, 2020, President Kent Fuchs reaffirmed his commitment to international education and UF's international engagement. Below is an excerpt from his message.

“We face long-term persistent threats that we must address. The first is systemic racism. This is the year in which we must and will address this threat. This threat is real. Like COVID, racism threatens our university and our personal wellbeing and therefore we must fight racism with the same energy and focus as we fight COVID.

The second enduring threat is the number of international students and our international engagement. Every year since 2017 my State of the University address has discussed the need to grow the number of international students and our international engagement worldwide. Last year we had 1,400 new international students on campus in the fall. This year it appears that the number will be 300, and we expect only a few new international students online. This is a staggering decline. This has become an even more urgent issue than in previous years.

Let me pause to make a comment relevant to our engagement with China and our Chinese colleagues. First, I acknowledge the real tension between our nation and China. All of us must comply fully with every university policy and every state and federal law and policy. This includes, as always, full disclosure of potential conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment and disclosure of all international engagement. And we must protect our intellectual property and our nation’s national and economic security. At the same time, we must be absolutely clear that UF is a university where international students, faculty, and visitors are welcome and embraced. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion applies to all. If our international colleagues and students do not feel welcome and supported, particularly those who are Chinese, then we have failed, and our future is threatened.”

To watch President's Fuchs video message please visit here.
To read the complete message visit here.