Robert Lanzillotti

This fund was established in 1992 to support the Robert F. Lanzillotti Public Policy Research Center. The principal goal of the Robert F. Lanzillotti Public Policy Research Center (PPRC) is to foster independent, high-quality research to improve the design of sound, effective public policy in Florida and the nation.

Lanzillotti was born June 19, 1921. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from American University and a doctorate in economics from the University of California at Berkeley.

In 1972, he was named an Honorary Alumnus of the University of Florida. For 17 years, he was dean of the university’s College of Business. During that time, he succeeded in improving the reputation of UF by tightening admissions standards and adding quality educators to the faculty. He stepped down from the position in 1987 to focus on UF’s Public Policy Research Center and teaching.

Outside of his work in academia, Lanzillotti is also known for his work with public policy issues. He has served on the U.S. Price Commission for the Nixon administration and was Chairman of a committee appointed by Governor Bob Graham to study the impact of the state’s unitary tax. He also served as Chairman of Governor Reubin Askew’s Economic Advisory Board.

In 1999, Lanzillotti retired after 30 years of service to UF. He currently is senior economic consultant with Infotech, Inc., a Gainesville consulting company.