President Judith Bense Maps Out Her Future at the University of West Florida

The board of trustees of the University of West Florida in Pensacola, has extended the contract of President Judith Bense until December 31, 2016. The contract extension stipulates that President Bense will be entitled to a one year sabbatical leave during 2017 and then return to the university to serve on the anthropology/archaeology faculty for three years.

Upon her return to the faculty, Dr. Bense will be required to teach only one class per year and will be provided with a full-time graduate assistant for research purposes.

Dr. Bense was named the fifth president of the University of West Florida in 2008. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in anthropology/archaeology from Florida State University. She earned a Ph.D. in anthropology/archaeology from Washington State University. Dr. Bense is the author of five books including Archaeology of the Southeastern United States: Paleoindian to World War I (Academic Press, 1994).