Kent Fuchs

{{Short description|American university president, provost, professor of electrical engineering}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Kent Fuchs

| image = Kent Fuchs at 2017 National Science Board (cropped).jpg

| caption = Fuchs at 2017 National Science Board

| office = President of the University of Florida

| term_start = August 1, 2024
Interim

| term_end =

| predecessor = Ben Sasse

| successor =

| term_start1 = January 1, 2015

| term_end1 = February 6, 2023

| predecessor1 = Bernie Machen

| successor1 = Ben Sasse

| office2 = 15th Provost of Cornell University

| term_start2 = January 1, 2009

| term_end2 = November 14, 2014

| predecessor2 = Carolyn Martin

| successor2 = Michael I. Kotlikoff

| birth_name = Wesley Kent Fuchs

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|11|3}}

| birth_place = Oklahoma, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| children = 4

| spouse = Linda Moskeland

| education = Duke University (BS)
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (MS, PhD)
Trinity International University (MDiv)

| module = {{Infobox scientist

| embed = yes

| fields = Electrical engineering

| workplaces = {{plainlist|

| thesis_title = Concurrent error detection in vlsi systems through structure encoding (fault tolerance, self-checking)

| thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/303388985

| thesis_year = 1985

| doctoral_advisor = Jacob A. Abraham}}

}}

Wesley Kent Fuchs ({{IPAc-en|f|ɒ|k|s}}; born 1954) is an American electrical engineer. He served as the 12th president of the University of Florida from 2015 to 2023 and as the provost of Cornell University from 2009 to 2014.

In January 2022, Fuchs announced that he would step down as president of the University of Florida, though he might stay at the university and return to the faculty. He was succeeded by Ben Sasse, a former U.S. senator from Nebraska. After Sasse resigned on July 31, 2024, Fuchs returned as interim president on August 1, 2024, and will serve until a new president is appointed.{{Cite web |title=Kent Fuchs expected to serve as interim UF president after Sasse resignation |url=https://www.alligator.org/article/2024/07/ben-sasse-resigns |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=The Independent Florida Alligator |language=en-US}}

Education

Fuchs received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Duke University in North Carolina in 1977, a Master of Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1982, a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois in 1984, and a Doctor of Philosophy in electrical and communications engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1985.{{Cite web |title=W. Kent Fuchs |url=https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/people/w-kent-fuchs/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250604013017/https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/people/w-kent-fuchs/ |archive-date=2025-06-04 |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=Cornell University College of Engineering |language=en-us}}

Career

Fuchs was a professor in the electrical and computer engineering department and the coordinated science laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, from 1985 to 1996. He was head of the school of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University from 1996 to 2002. While at Purdue he was appointed to the Michael J. and Katherine R. Birck distinguished professorship. He was the Joseph Silbert dean of the Cornell University College of Engineering, from 2002 to 2008.

He was the fifteenth provost of Cornell University in October 2008. In 2011, he led in the team and strategy that resulted in the winning proposal, in partnership with the Technion and New York City, to create a new graduate applied sciences campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City.{{Cite news|url=https://chronicle.com/article/Cornell-U-Is-Winner-of/130116/|title=Cornell U. Is Winner of Competition for NYC Science Campus, as Stanford Pulls Out|last=Blumenstyk|first=Goldie|date=December 16, 2011|newspaper=The Chronicle of Higher Education|issn=0009-5982|access-date=May 4, 2016}} The Cornell Tech campus reported to him as provost.{{Cite web|url=http://tech.cornell.edu/|title=Cornell Tech|website=Cornell Tech|access-date=May 4, 2016}} In 2009, Fuchs launched Cornell's re-imagining initiative that resulted in enhanced efficiency in administrative services.{{Cite web |url=http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2010/05/public-discussion-initiatives-coordination-office|title=Plans to improve operations, cut costs are moving ahead {{!}} Cornell Chronicle|website=www.news.cornell.edu|access-date=May 4, 2016}} As provost, Fuchs was also responsible for transforming Cornell's budget model.{{Cite web|url=http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2012/05/provost-outlines-universitys-new-budget-model|title=Provost outlines university's new budget model {{!}} Cornell Chronicle |website=www.news.cornell.edu|access-date=May 4, 2016}} In 2010, he led the development of Cornell's Strategic Plan{{Cite web |url=http://www.cornell.edu/strategicplan/|title=Cornell University: A Strategic Plan : Strategic Plan|website=www.cornell.edu|access-date=May 4, 2016}} and the establishment of metrics for assessing Cornell's academic stature.{{Cite web |url=http://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/strategic-metrics|title=Strategic Metrics|website=irp.dpb.cornell.edu|access-date=May 4, 2016}}

= National Science Board =

On September 16, 2016, U.S. president Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Fuchs as a member of the National Science Board and National Science Foundation.{{cite web|last1=Fry|first1=Paige|title=President Obama plans to appoint President Fuchs |url=http://www.alligator.org/news/campus/article_efc05a9c-7d16-11e6-9e04-47554ddc300d.html|website=The Independent Florida Alligator |accessdate=September 17, 2016}} He is a member of the board's class of 2016–2022.[https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/members/current_members/fuchs.jsp W. Kent Fuchs. Biography] National Science Board. Retrieved September 18, 2021

= University of Florida =

He served as the 12th president of the University of Florida from 2015 to 2023. As the president of the university, Fuchs barred three professors from testifying in a voting rights lawsuit against Florida governor Ron DeSantis over Senate Bill 90.{{Cite web|date=2021|title=U. of Florida's Accreditor Will Investigate Denial of Professors' Voting-Rights Testimony|url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/u-of-floridas-accreditor-will-investigate-denial-of-professors-voting-rights-testimony|access-date=2021-11-01|website=www.chronicle.com}}{{Cite news|title=University of Florida bars faculty from testifying in voting rights lawsuit against DeSantis administration|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/10/30/florida-voting-rights-desantis-lawsuit/|access-date=2021-10-30|issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite news|last=Wines|first=Michael|date=2021-10-29|title=Florida Bars State Professors From Testifying in Voting Rights Case|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/us/florida-professors-voting-rights-lawsuit.html|access-date=2021-10-30|issn=0362-4331}} After the university blocked its professors from providing testimony in court, the University of Florida's accreditor started an investigation into the university.

In January 2022, Fuchs announced that he would step down as president of the University of Florida, though he might stay at the university and return to the faculty. He was succeeded by Ben Sasse, a former U.S. senator from Nebraska. After Sasse resigned on July 31, 2024, Fuchs returned as interim president on August 1, 2024, and will serve until a new president is appointed.

Personal

Fuchs is married to Linda Moskeland Fuchs, who previously taught at The King's Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. They have four children, two daughters-in-law, a son-in-law and three grandchildren.{{Cite web|url=http://our12thpresident.ufl.edu/|title=Office of the President - University of Florida|last=Florida|first=University of|website=our12thpresident.ufl.edu|access-date=May 4, 2016|archive-date=April 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425055105/http://our12thpresident.ufl.edu/|url-status=dead}}

References

External links

[https://www.ece.ufl.edu/people/faculty/kent-fuchs/ Faculty web site]
[http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Oct08/provostFuchs.html W. Kent Fuchs named CU's 15th provost]
[http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2014/11/provost-kent-fuchs-reflects-cornells-future-and-his-own Provost Kent Fuchs reflects on Cornell's future and his own]