1. James Bernard Machen is an American university professor and administrator.
37 Facts About Bernie Machen
1. 2.
Bernie Machen is a native of Mississippi, and earned several academic degrees before becoming a university administrator and president.
3.
Bernie Machen had been the president of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah and the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.
4.
Bernie Machen sits on the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute's Board of Trustees.
5.
On June 8,2012, Bernie Machen announced he would be stepping down as president in 2013.
6.
However, Bernie Machen was asked by state and university leaders to stay on, as the school had not yet found a suitable replacement.
7.
Bernie Machen was finally succeeded by W Kent Fuchs on January 1,2015.
8.
Bernie Machen was born in Greenwood, Mississippi in 1944, and grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri.
9.
Bernie Machen graduated from Vanderbilt University with his bachelor's degree in 1966, and was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity.
10.
Bernie Machen graduated from Saint Louis University with his doctor of dental surgery degree in 1968, from the University of Iowa with a Master of Science degree in pediatric dentistry in 1972 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in educational psychology in 1974.
11.
Bernie Machen was the president at Utah when Meyer was hired as head coach there.
12.
In January 2009, Bernie Machen announced his initiative to increase diversity in the University of Florida's faculty.
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Bernie Machen's leadership was instrumental in creating a Council on Diversity that will be in charge of collecting and analyzing data from different colleges and departments, as well as proposing policies to increase diversity around the university.
14.
Bernie Machen stated his commitment to continuing leadership during the transition to a new university president.
15.
Bernie Machen was succeeded by Kent Fuchs on January 1,2015.
16.
Bernie Machen received a base salary of $432,808 and $285,000 in annual performance bonuses, with his total annual compensation equalling $751,000, the fourth largest salary in the country for a public university president in 2007.
17.
Bernie Machen has been criticized for reducing funding to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences by both faculty and other administrators.
18.
However, in December 2008, Bernie Machen announced that he would give his yearly bonus of $285,000 back to the University of Florida with the stipulation that the money had to be used to help fund the Florida Opportunity Scholars Program.
19.
When Bernie Machen was hired by the University of Florida in 2003, his contract stated he would be eligible, after five years, to receive either a one-year sabbatical or receive the $450,000 bonus in addition to his annual salary.
20.
In January 2009, Bernie Machen chose to take $400,000 in four annual installments, but after receiving the first $100,000 installment in 2009, it was realized that the four-year payment plan would require Bernie Machen to pay federal income taxes on all four installments at the time of the first installment payment.
21.
In March 2010, the board of trustees voted to pay the remaining three installments in a single lump sum so that Bernie Machen might avoid further negative tax consequences.
22.
Bernie Machen 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.
23.
Bernie Machen rated the University of Florida as "distinguished", while rating all other Florida state universities at least two tiers below the University of Florida.
24.
Bernie Machen condemned the proposed boycott in a letter that ran as a full-page advertisement in the August 8,2007 edition of The New York Times.
25.
Bernie Machen 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.
26.
In January 2008, Bernie Machen publicly endorsed US Senator John McCain for President of the United States.
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However, Bernie Machen cautioned that it should not be interpreted as an endorsement from the entire UF community.
28.
Bernie Machen described how he has been a long-time supporter of Senator McCain.
29.
Bernie Machen cited LeMieux's strong support for higher education and endorsed Governor Charlie Crist's selection to fill the open senate seat.
30.
Bernie Machen stipulated that he was not supporting LeMieux for political reasons.
31.
On September 22,2010, Bernie Machen was one of six presidents of major American research universities who met with US Vice President Joe Biden in a roundtable meeting at the White House to discuss the use of funds appropriated by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for scientific research.
32.
Bernie Machen touted the six-year study by the University of Florida's Institute on Aging on whether a physical activity regimen can prevent or delay physical disability in the elderly.
33.
Bernie Machen said the money is worth spending, considering the potential impact the results can have on lowering health care costs.
34.
Bernie Machen was joined by the presidents of Purdue University, Johns Hopkins University, Washington State University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California.
35.
On November 29,2010, Bernie Machen was named to an Economic Development Transition Team of Governor-elect Rick Scott.
36.
Bernie Machen suggested universities should charge higher tuition for science, technology, engineering and math degrees because of their high cost to schools and brought up students' failure to graduate in four years, in spite of the higher credit-hour requirements of some of these degrees as compared to other undergraduate fields of study.
37.
Bernie Machen's statement explained, "This legislation presented the University of Florida with a pathway toward excellence and would have enabled the great State of Florida to have two world-class universities".