University of Florida President Stuart R. Bell shared a recipe for excellence during the Eye Opener Discovery Breakfast Thursday morning. The ingredients didn’t consist of the eggs, bacon or fruit served at the buffet. Instead, the recipe called for UF and Gainesville to move forward as one.
About 280 local leaders, students and residents from Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City and surrounding regions gathered at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center Gainesville, marking what Karen Thomas, UF assistant vice president of community relations, called the “largest crowd in Eye Opener history.”
Since stepping into his role as president July 1, Bell has visited all 16 UF academic colleges, met with local leaders — including Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward and the city commissioners — and learned more about UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. He's even mastered the Gator Chomp.
In his speech, Bell recalled once living by a river, where he would watch a rowing team practice in the cold, foggy air each morning.
When he listened closely and paid attention, he said, he could hear the coxswain calling out to direct the rowers. Oars moved in sync through the water, keeping the team on course.
Bell likened this experience to the relationship between UF and the Gainesville community.
“The University of Florida and our community are deeply connected in what we do,” he said. “Truly, our futures are intertwined.”
He also discussed the renovations underway at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Although the project is expected to cost around $1.4 billion, Bell said UF plans to keep the money within the community by commissioning local restaurants, construction workers and supplies.
Games will still be hosted in the stadium during the three-year construction process, he added, but there will be a lot of cranes.
“They’re going to be there for a minute, but, again, that’s great progress,” he said. “It’s progress for our campus, but it’s also progress for our local businesses and our communities as we keep those gains at $20 million per game.”
Visitors outside of Alachua County generated about $307 million annually to the local economy, Bell said, and $117 million comes from Gator football alone. This money is part of the engine that drives the community, he said.
Bell also emphasized his appreciation for UF’s ongoing innovation and incredible programs.
Through UF Innovate, which is a hub dedicated to transforming research into methods for economic development, he said UF’s discoveries and entrepreneurial spirit have created new employment opportunities and companies in the community.
According to UF’s current economic impact report, just over half of jobs in Alachua County are somehow affiliated with UF.
Bell said the university launched a new initiative Sept. 23 alongside a major donor to combine artificial intelligence and literacy to inspire confidence in elementary students and their reading abilities.
Ava Minor, a 20-year-old UF English senior, attended the breakfast and said she was motivated by the progress UF is making in the community. She was grateful for the personal reminder to get involved, she said.
“It’s kind of easy to get lost in classes and work and whatnot,” Minor said. “It’s easy to forget that you’re a part of a community here — not only part of the Gator community, but also Alachua County.”
Madeline Prummer, a 21-year-old UF political science senior, found the breakfast similarly motivating. She was impressed by the literacy initiative, she said, when she realized the elementary schoolers could be future “baby gators” who will contribute to the community.
Santa Fe College President Paul Broadie was especially impressed with Bell’s passion to push the community and university forward, he said.
“What he said today about community and rowing in the same direction — that is very important,” Broadie said. “I think that is the recipe for Gainesville, for our entire community, for the university and for the college: to align our efforts and move in the same direction.”
Bell ended his remarks by reflecting on how proud he feels to be a Florida Gator. Just like the rowers in his story, he added, UF is cutting through the fog into new territory.
“We’re moving to a place that we haven’t been before,” he said.
But as the Gators row past, Bell said, the competitors will look and ask, “Well, who was that? Well, I don’t know, but they’re wearing orange and blue.”
Mia Driaza is a contributing writer for The Alligator. Contact her at miadriaza@ufl.edu
