Why We Exist: Our Mission
The mission of the Office of the Chief Operating Officer is to support the university’s success through unsurpassed operational excellence. This mission provides a foundation for a range of services designed to meet the needs of the institution under the direction of the COO leadership team:
- Elias Eldayrie, Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Melissa Curry, Interim Vice President for Human Resource Services
- Curtis Reynolds, Vice President for Business Affairs
- Dhanesh Raniga, Chief Audit Executive (CAE)
- Russell Froman, Assistant Vice President, Accessibility and Gender Equity
- Trevor Schneider, Assistant Vice President, Office of Real Estate
- Carrie Blanchard Bush, Chief of Staff
Who We Are: Our Values
Just as the mission of the COO’s area provides a foundation for what we do and why we exist, values clarify and support who we are. We value integrity, responsiveness, people, excellence, and collaboration and are committed to behaviors that demonstrate those values in action:
Integrity
- Be honest with self and others
- Do the right thing every day
- Make decisions in the best interest of the university
Responsiveness
- Don’t just respond—resolve
- Demonstrate a sense of urgency to serve
- Be respectful
Collaboration
- Communicate effectively and listen to understand
- Be inclusive
- Work toward a common purpose
Valuing People
- Treat everyone with dignity, empathy, and respect
- Discover the positive with everyone we encounter
- Appreciate differences and value the input and opinions of others
Excellence
- Be accountable—take ownership
- Go well above “just good” services or products— innovate where possible
- Be “top 10” in everything we do
Where We Are Headed: Our Vision
We seek to establish and maintain exceptional services that enable UF to be a preeminent university.
How We Will Get There: Strategic Themes
In evaluating our role and identifying our best contributions moving forward, our commitment to the university—reflected in our goals and objectives— aligns with the strategic themes of:
Campus Experience: We aim to provide a preeminent campus experience – how people feel and what they remember after an interaction with any aspect of our university.
Safety and Security: We will provide an environment where people, assets, data, and resources are valued and protected. This encompasses the physical, technological, and emotional aspects of safety.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: We are each responsible for upholding a campus culture that is inclusive, equitable and respectful to all people. We value and will promote a diversity of backgrounds, demographics, experiences and ideas.
Collaboration + OneUF: In our actions, we strive to reach across the UF enterprise as well
as the community-at-large to leverage the greatest positive impact and promote transparency.
Leading in Resiliency: As leaders, we are adaptable problem-solvers. We will embrace a growth mindset and lead by example as we build resilient teams.
The Future of Work: New possibilities are continuously on the horizon. We will stay informed of future trends in our field and enrich our workforce to take advantage of new opportunities.
Process
Each department under our office uses SMART goal setting to align with our goals. Each goal is categorized into strategic themes. Departments will report on their goals every 6 months.
