It is not required that the president have this public profile when entering office, but it will be important to cultivate and earn this recognition early on. UF's president can enhance the image of this university among our peers by demonstrated teamwork and creative, proactive leadership. Candidates arising from faculty ranks is a normal and, in most cases, preferable route, although a leader entering from an alternative background is not necessarily a fatal error. Indeed, sometimes long-term academics show an appalling misunderstanding of faculty values. In the case of an outsider, what is important is whether that person can translate valuable experience from another professional theater into effectiveness in the academy.
Faculty deserve a president who cares about their views.
This is not to suggest that faculty are always right, but they have a pretty good track record. It also wouldn't hurt if the president actually liked faculty. UF can meet its ambitious goals. An effective president must develop a good working relationship with both. The research leg sometimes has threatened to outgrow by far the other two stabilizing supports.