The new president of the University of North Florida was confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors in May.
Moez Limayem became the seventh president of the University of North Florida on May 16 when his selection by UNF’s board of trustees was confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors.
He succeeded David Szymanski, who was UNF’s president from 2018 to 2021 and currently is CEO and executive director of UNF MedNexus.
“The opportunity to talk regularly with faculty and staff continues to be so beneficial to me as I learn about our challenges and opportunities, but also the incredible work that you do every day. During lunches with students, I have loved learning about their experiences and plans for the future,” Limayem wrote in a Nov. 8 email sent to students, faculty and staff marking his 100th day in office.
Limayem was Lynn Pippenger Dean at the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida since 2012.
At USF, Limayem enhanced the college’s profile and helped raise more than $126 million.
With the addition of a student success center and other initiatives, the freshman retention rate at USF increased to 95%.
Since 2021, Limayem also led USF’s efforts related to career preparation and placement, internships and talent development of students.
Before USF, Limayem was associate dean for research and graduate programs at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business, where he oversaw business graduate programs including master’s, doctoral and executive education programs. He also was the academic director for MBA programs.
Limayem’s academic and professional awards include two recognizing efforts to foster diversity and inclusion, the Excellence in Diversity Award at the Walton College of Business and the Diversity Award, presented at the USF System Diversity Summit.
Limayem serves on the board of directors of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. He received an MBA and Ph.D. in business administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.