Moez Limayem sits inside his new office, inside the University of North Florida’s J.J. Daniel Hall on a recent afternoon. He’s only been in the position for weeks. But he’s already thinking about the university’s last 50 years — and its next 50.

“This is what I call the right moment for us to really build on the strong foundations and the great work done by all my predecessors and the current incredible team of faculty and staff,” Limayem says. “Now, we earned that right to dream and to actually be one of the best, if not the best.”

Limayem discusses his life, his goals and his impressions of Jacksonville in an interview with The Florida Times-Union, a Jacksonville Today news partner.