Bernie Machen

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Bernie Machen

Born March 26, 1944
Education Bachelors Vanderbilt University, D.D.S., Saint Louis University,
M.S. and Ph.D., University of Iowa
Occupation Administrator
Dental Surgeon
Spouse Chris Machen

Dr. James Bernard "Bernie" Machen (born 26 March 1944) is an American professor and academic administrator. As of 2004, he is the president of the University of Florida. Before starting at Florida in 2004, he was president of the University of Utah. Bernie Machen was born in Greenwood, Mississippi and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Vanderbilt University for his undergraduate studies and joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity. [1] He attended Saint Louis University for his DDS, and the University of Iowa for his master of science in pediatric dentistry and Ph.D. in educational psychology.

Before Utah and Florida, Machen was employed in various capacities as professor and administrator by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Michigan. Additionally, he served in various ways with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Association of Dental Schools. While at Utah, he served on the board of trustees of the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

After Florida's 2004 hiring of head football coach Urban Meyer, it was speculated that Machen's relationship with Meyer may have played a role in the hiring. Machen was the president at Utah when Meyer was hired as head coach there. [2]

Machen is paid $750,000 a year, the fourth largest salary in the country for a university president, once performance bonuses are included.[3] He has been criticized for reducing funding to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences by both faculty and other administrators.[4]

Machen is also noteworthy for providing subsidized health care to graduate students. UF's Graduate Student Council worked to bring the issue to his attention and worked with high-level members of Machen's staff, including the Vice-President of Student Affairs and the Vice-President of Human Resources, to iron out an agreement. GSC and Graduate Assistants United (GAU), the labor union that represents graduate workers, worked with faculty and staff to hear bids from insurance companies to provide health insurance for graduate students who work for the university as teaching or research assistants. After this group selected a plan, GAU negotiated with the administration to include the new program, GatorGradCare, in their collective bargaining agreement. The plan was announced on June 17, 2006, and began in January, 2007.

Machen and his wife, Chris, have three children and three grandchildren. Lee, born in 1972, is married to Julie and lives in Portland, Oregon, with son Noah born in 2003 and daughter Neve born in 2005. Michael, born in 1975, is married to Monika and lives in Chicago, Illinois, with daughter Maya born in 2005. Daughter Maggie, born in 1980, lives in Gainesville, Florida.


Machen has most recently stirred a mild controversy by making a veiled innuendo regarding the University of Michigan's academics as they relate to student-athletes and implying that Ohio State University basketball star Greg Oden's academic schedule is a joke.[5]

It should also be noted that President Machen stands against the boycotting of Israeli universities. Machen condemned the proposed boycott in a letter that ran as a full-page advertisement in the Aug. 8 issue of The New York Times (2007). He helped write the letter in opposition to a recent vote by Britain's leading faculty union, which decided to debate the possibility of boycotting Israeli academic institutions. If passed by Britain's University and College Union, the boycott would cut off relations with Israeli schools to serve as a rebuke of Israel's Palestinian policies.[6]

In January of 2008, Dr. Machen publicly endorsed Senator John McCain for President of the United States. However it should be noted that Machen supports McCain but cautioned that it should not be interpreted as an endorsement from the entire UF community. Bernie Machen also described how he has been a longtime supporter of Senator McCain.[2]


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ Dan Wetzel (2006-12-05). A true champion. Yahoo!. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  3. ^ "College heads see climb in compensation", Associate Press, 2006-11-21. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
  4. ^ "The origins of the CLAS 'debt'", Speech by John H. Moore, 2006-11-14. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
  5. ^ "Florida's Machen pushes playoff with a payoff", CBS Sportsline, 2007-04-03. Retrieved on April 9, 2007
  6. ^ LOCAL - - Gainesville.com

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Charles E. Young		 President of the University of Florida
2003 – Present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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