I would like to publicly thank UF President Bernie Machen for moderating the Jewish Awareness Month and Accent show featuring Alan Dershowitz event this past Wednesday evening. UF is lucky to have someone like Machen at the helm of our institution who shared, “If you have not been to Israel, you have not seen the world.”
While many people may disagree with decisions made by his administration over the years, I believe that it is absolutely critical to point out that we do have a principled president leading our university.
As a Roman Catholic, I am grateful to see and hear Machen speak publicly about his admiration of Israel’s leadership in green technology, computer innovation, archaeological preservation and business development.
He also shared insights into his 2008 trip to Iran with other university presidents. He is a fair and humble leader who is not afraid to share his personal views on major world issues.
I thank him for his outspokenness and work on behalf of the students.
