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The Purposes of the University: Selected Speeches by Bernie Machen at Abbey's Bookshop,
The Purposes of the University: Selected Speeches
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Bernie Machen Aaron Hoover

The Purposes of the University

Selected Speeches

Bernie Machen,  Aaron Hoover

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Paperback

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English
University Press of Florida
02 September 2025
Higher & further education, tertiary education
A selection of speeches from UF's 11th president Bernie Machen, offering insights on public higher education and its challenges and changes

The modern university is a beacon for students, a home for scholars, a hub of culture in the community, an engine of discovery, an economic force—a place of many purposes, all facing change or reinvention. This selection of speeches from University of Florida's 11th president Bernie Machen, with executive speechwriter Aaron Hoover, offers insights on public higher education and its challenges from the helm of one of the largest land-grant universities in the country. The Purposes of the University sheds light on many upheavals within academia. Machen defended against legislative pressures and criticism of the liberal arts and sciences, cemented the university's bonds with donors as public funding crumbled, worked to maintain student diversity post-affirmative action, sought to define innovation as a central mission, led a major turn toward sustainability, and forged new educational models online and on campus. The speeches in this volume also highlight milestones and key moments at UF, from the expansion of the campus to mediation of town-gown relations to the launch of research projects all over the world. They offer candid portraits of the life and people of the university and its hometown of Gainesville, celebrating iconic figures like Gatorade inventor Robert Cade and campus personalities such as UF's longest-serving employee, Betty Jones. And they include reflections on university life: tributes to the first black students, the history of the marching band, the trees of the historic campus, and the legacy of student veterans who enrolled after returning from the nation's wars.

Perhaps the most traditional public role for university presidents is to encourage and help students. In his speeches—at commencements, convocations, and other events across the state—Machen aimed to inspire and to celebrate young people and their passion. On topics both weighty and whimsical, his perspective combines openness to change with full faith in the university and its many purposes.
By:   ,
Imprint:   University Press of Florida
Country of Publication:   United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Dimensions:   Height: 216mm,  Width: 140mm, 
Weight:   381g
ISBN:   9780813081229
ISBN 10:   081308122X
Pages:   216
Publication Date:  
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Bernie Machen served as the eleventh president of the University of Florida from 2004 to 2014. Prior to UF, he spent six years as president of the University of Utah. He also served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan and dean of the UM School of Dentistry. He is a past president of the American Association of Dental Schools and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee. Aaron Hoover is an award-winning speechwriter who worked closely with President Machen. A former science writer and newspaper reporter, he was the executive speechwriter in the UF President’s Office.

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