When Marshall Criser III's father left his law practice to serve as the president of the University of Florida, he couldn't wrap his head around the choice. "I didn't really understand why he chose to leave […] Could not understand why my parents would make a decision like that." However, later in his life, Criser would prove to have more in common with his father than just their names, as he made a similar career change to become the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida. "When I later made something of a similar decision in 2014, I suddenly understood what it was all about[…] You want somehow to have as much of an effect in making it stronger, better for our students."