Kyle Cavanaugh, UF senior vice president for administration, will leave in January to lead human resources at Duke University.
Duke officials and UF President Bernie Machen announced the move Wednesday.
Cavanaugh, 50, has been at UF since May 2005, when he became the university's first vice president for human resources. He was promoted in 2007 to senior vice president for administration.
He will start at Duke on Feb. 1.
Machen wrote in a message to deans, directors and department chairs Wednesday that Brian Beach, UF's special assistant to the president, will become the interim senior vice president.
Machen wrote that additional budget cuts are anticipated following state revenue shortfalls, and they need to be targeted during the next three months and through the legislative session starting in March.
"In these challenging times the continuity in our leadership is critical and by appointing Brian to the interim position, that continuity is guaranteed," he wrote.
David Jarmul, associate vice president of Duke's News and Communications, said Cavanaugh interviewed for the position over the past several weeks. Cavanaugh's new position will be entirely focused on human resources instead of finances and other broad areas that he oversees at UF, Jarmul said.
"We're delighted that he's coming," Jarmul said.
He said Cavanaugh's salary is not disclosed because Duke is a private institution.
Before Cavanaugh came to UF, he worked as associate vice president for human resource services for five years at the University of Texas at Austin. He previously worked in human resources at Rice University and Vanderbilt University, both private institutions.
Cavanaugh said he took the opportunity at Duke, which he called one of the top five institutions in the nation, because of its employment base of about 30,000 people and the autonomy given to those who run its operations.
"The Duke opportunity is probably only one of those opportunities that comes along maybe once in a person's career," he said.
The impact of UF's future budget cuts is still uncertain, but Cavanaugh said he said he plans to work with Beach as much as possible up to the day he leaves UF to prepare him for the cuts.
"This institution, as grand as it is, is going to be here for some time," Cavanaugh said.
Steve Dorman, dean of the College of Health and Human Performance, said he will miss Cavanaugh for his thoughtfulness and seasoned leadership and advice.
"I certainly think our university is better off for having him as a leader," Dorman said. "For me, it's a personal loss because he's a friend of mine."
Robert Jerry, dean of the Levin College of Law, agreed.
Jerry said he met Cavanaugh for dinner shortly before he decided to come to UF from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005. Cavanuagh improved a lot of UF operations during his four-year UF career, he said.
Jerry said he would be concerned about Cavanaugh's decision to leave even if it wasn't made with the prognosis of more budget cuts.
"Anytime Kyle leaves, I'll worry about the time he's leaving," Jerry said.
