Gary McGill, Interim Dean, University of Florida Warrington College of Business

July 2026 — Invest: sat down with Gary McGill, interim dean of the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, to discuss expansion to Miami, experiential learning, and aligning academic strategy. “We expect that every Warrington student will be able to provide immediate value in whatever role they take after graduation,” McGill said.

What made Miami the right market to expand your footprint, and what demand are you seeing from employers and working professionals?

Miami has become one of the most dynamic business hubs in the country, especially in finance, fintech, logistics, and tech-enabled services. For Warrington, the decision to expand there was really about being where the growth is and where employers and professionals are already operating at scale.

We’re seeing strong demand from both sides: employers looking for talent with strong business and analytical skills, and working professionals who want high-quality graduate business education that fits into their careers without leaving South Florida.

How do you see Miami competing with other major markets for talent, venture capital, and business investment over the next few years?

Miami is competing effectively with traditional hubs like New York and San Francisco, but in a slightly different way. It’s become a magnet for startups, venture capital, and companies relocating for tax advantages, global access, and quality of life.

Its real advantage is its position as a gateway to Latin America and its rapid growth in innovation sectors like fintech and AI-enabled services. Over time, I think you’ll see Miami strengthen as a complementary hub, especially for globally connected industries that value speed, capital access and international reach.

Warrington has an emphasis on experiential learning, including partnerships with companies on real-world projects. How is that shaping the student experience?

For Warrington, the student experience outside of the classroom is just as important as what they’re learning in the classroom. We see experiential learning, especially those opportunities made possible through partnerships with companies, as the key to applying their in-class lessons to the real world. It’s this practice that prepares them for what will come as soon as they step into their careers. We expect that every Warrington student will be able to provide immediate value in whatever role they take after graduation thanks to the coupling of their academic coursework with the hands-on learning opportunities they’ve had solving the challenges and working with the data of real companies.

How is Warrington adapting its programs and partnerships to meet expectations surrounding workforce outcomes and return on investment?

As part of a public, land-grant university, Warrington has always been focused on preparing our students to get hired or promoted in roles at some of the world’s top companies, all at one of the lowest costs of attendance among top-tier universities. For example, our MBA program has been consistently ranked among the best programs for ROI, most recently as the No. 4 program in the nation with the highest return on investment by U.S. News & World Report. Several of our master’s programs also have between 90% and 100% job placement, all with high starting salaries and signing bonuses.

That said, while Warrington has always offered a high-value degree with great ROI, we’re not resting on our laurels. Warrington also has a culture of innovation, which our students benefit from through consistently updating our curriculum and degree offerings to reflect the business world’s needs. Our partnerships with companies and recruiters help us understand company needs so that we can mold what our students learn in their degree programs and make an immediate impact at any company at which they are hired.

How is Warrington aligning its academic strategy with the industries driving Miami’s growth, such as finance, fintech, healthcare, and logistics?

We’re aligning our programs with the industries driving Miami’s growth by focusing on applied, practical business education: how to use AI, analytics, and modern tools to improve decision-making, customer experience, and efficiency in real organizations. No matter the industry, these key business areas will help drive growth.

We’re also building strong connections with employers in the region so our curriculum reflects real-time business challenges. The goal is to prepare graduates who can step directly into these industries and contribute immediately in a rapidly evolving, global market.

What do you believe will define the most successful business schools over the next five years, and where do you see Warrington positioning itself within that landscape?

Over the next five years, I see the most successful business schools being defined by the ability of their graduates to embrace change. A few years ago, the film “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” won the Best Picture Oscar. I think the title describes well the current environment, both in business and more widely. Producing graduates who can embrace change and faculty research that can fuel different ways of thinking about problems and solutions are the key to a successful business school.

At Warrington, we’re already looking ahead to this future and enhancing our curriculum with AI in mind. The University of Florida has been moving to become the AI University since 2021, and Warrington has been moving in step by hiring AI-focused faculty and incorporating AI at appropriate levels across all our programs. AI is changing rapidly and could look different in the next five years, but we’re always looking to what’s next and innovating accordingly to prepare our students to embrace change in all forms.