The University of Florida has spent decades becoming a major research university. A focal activity has been development of academic departments to embody the full range of disciplines representing human knowledge. The faculty of each department are devoted to their discipline, and they tend to adapt the departmental curriculum to focus more and more exclusively on their discipline. An unintended consequence is the exclusion of subjects covered by other departments and increasing specialization of the department s graduates.
Students become expert in the discipline of the department but less familiar with other disciplines.
In the environment-related disciplines, this has diminished the opportunity for students to learn a broad range of subjects, to prepare for heightened complexity, the rapid pace of change, and unforeseen turns in their careers. However, UF has great potential for students wishing to meet this challenge, because the requisite faculty and courses already exist. What was lacking was authorization for students to access this diversity of knowledge. Then-Provost Andrew Sorensen appointed a faculty task force on Natural Resources and the Environment, to review the University s academic programs in this area and make recommendations on how they might be improved. He also expanded the role of the Vice President for Agriculture as Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources.