With the 2025-2026 school year beginning on August 25th, students may have been too busy over the summer to keep up with campus happenings. Here are some things you may have missed during summer break and the chaos of classes starting again;
Search For a New President
On May 12, 2025, now-former President Martha Saunders announced her resignation, following tension among the Board of Trustees and scrutiny from Governor DeSantis. 15 days later, the Board of Trustees announced Manny Diaz Jr. as interim president. On August 25th, UWF announced a 15-member committee to search nationwide for a new president. As of August 26th, UWF held the first public listening session to obtain community-wide opinions on presidential candidates. A review of the finalists is expected in December, with a new president selected in January, who will officially take office in February 2026.
New building for Civil Engineering
August 12th marked the opening of Building 80, which contains the new civil engineering program and the Tyler Chase Norwood Construction Management Program. The building holds three new labs, including the trade demonstration lab, where students can learn about and demonstrate various trades.
Record Attendance This Semester
The Fall 2025 semester broke record-level attendance with 15,175 students, compared to Fall 2023’s 14,343 enrolled. UWF has maintained a high student retention rate, with housing at capacity for four consecutive years. Additionally, 47.8% of students living in on-campus housing last year returned for this year.
Argo Arrival and Other Events
August 21st-22nd were the official move-in days, with the 22nd also being the day of Club U-Dub, an event celebrating the beginning of a new school year. On August 29th, UWF kicked off the football season in a home game and nationally ranked match against Lenoir-Rhyne. The game resulted in a 48-21 victory for UWF. One upcoming event is the campus-wide Part-Time Job Fair in the commons on Sept. 4th. All students are welcome to attend, bring their resumes, and network with various employers from 12pm-3pm.
Computer Research and Cybersecurity Grant
On August 27th, UWF received $32,515,120 from the Triumph Gulf Coast Board of Directors. The grant will develop the UWF Institute for Analytics and Industry Advancement (IAIA), the Center for Cybersecurity, and create a new Center for Computational Intelligence. UWF also intends to use the money for a new Sciences and Engineering building in $130k total 10-year initiative.
