Dean Michael G. Perri
Dean’s message
On October 13th the University of Florida announced the Go Greater Campaign, an eight-year philanthropic effort to help UF solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.
The campaign focuses on the strategic areas of leadership, health, environment, innovation and globalization. Within each of these areas are specific initiatives, such as creating professorships, increasing student scholarships and strengthening UF’s research infrastructure. With support from individuals, foundations and corporations, UF can apply talents and resources toward tackling pressing problems that affect people all over the world, while also increasing students’ opportunities for success.
At the College of Public Health and Health Professions, we are blessed to have a number of donors whose support has helped us become a leader in health education, research and service. Among those who have made a lifelong commitment to UF and the college are Rolf and Anne Kuhns. Rolf is a 1972 graduate of the college’s physical therapy program and Anne holds two UF degrees: a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree focused on computer science in education.
Anne and Rolf Kuhns
As students and young graduates, Rolf and Anne didn’t have much, but with the help of UF scholarships, they were able to graduate debt-free. In the decades following their graduation, Rolf and Anne steadily built successful careers. Rolf owned and operated a private physical therapy practice in Orlando and went on to hold administrative positions for national rehabilitation companies. Anne served as vice president for information security and chief information security officer for The Walt Disney Company.
Rolf and Anne have given generously to the college, creating a scholarship fund for physical therapy students and a bequest to establish an endowed chair. With their most recent gift, Rolf and Anne supported UF’s student-run PT Equal Access Clinic, which provides free physical therapy services for patients who are uninsured or underinsured. Thanks to their generosity, we can continue to provide a valuable service to the community, and at that same time enhance our students’ clinical learning, giving them rich experiences with patients that will make them better therapists.
In addition to their gifts, the Kuhns are making other important contributions to the college. They have committed to taking a fundraising leadership role by encouraging others, particularly alumni from their generation, to become a part of the future of the college by giving back. In this way, Rolf, Anne and others are participating in the development of the next generation of health and public health professionals.
We hope the Go Greater campaign inspires you to think about ways you can help us excel in our mission of providing exceptional education and advancing research and patient care to address society’s greatest needs. When you give to the College of Public Health and Health Professions at any dollar amount, you are not only supporting our students, research projects and service programs, you are also investing in a better future for citizens of Florida, the nation and the world.
Together we go further, we go stronger, we go Greater.