The Florida Board of Governors has approved the selection of Moez Limayem as the University of North Florida’s next president.
Limayem, who was dean of the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida since 2012, will begin Aug. 1.
“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.”
During the decade Limayem has been at USF, the school brought in almost $100 million in donations from top companies throughout the area, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
That includes raising money for fintech-focused endeavors: In the past two months, he closed a $14 million deal from Kate Tiedemann and Ellen Cotton to focus on financial technology and a $10.6 million deal from ConnectWise co-founder Arnie Bellini to build out the area’s talent pipeline.
Fintech has been a major focus on economic development efforts in Jacksonville, building on the growth of FIS, SS&C Advent, SoFi and others.
Limayem served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce and was named among the Power 100: Tampa Bay’s Most Influential Business Leaders of 2022 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Limayem also serves on the board of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.
During his interview at UNF, Limayem told the board he would “hit the ground listening” if he were chosen to be UNF’s next president. There is no “my vision," he said: Instead, he called it “our vision.”
He foresees UNF becoming a magnet in more ways than one. It will be a magnet for students, employers, the community and donors alike as they work together to take UNF to the highest possible level.
If they have a challenge, “one word should come to them: UNF,” he said during his final interview.
The UNF presidency has been held on an interim basis by Pamela S. Chally since September, after former President David Szymanski left the position to become CEO of UNF MedNexus. That organization, which Szymanski created, received millions in state funding to bring together health care providers, university students, faculty and researchers for research and worker training.
Carter Mudgett of Spinnaker Media contributed to this story.