TALLAHASSEE — After two years of a volatile presidential search, University of Florida students, faculty and staff met Wednesday with the sole finalist to be the next leader of the state’s flagship university.
Read more Just what does Florida’s homestead property tax amendment do? Your questions answered
Stuart Bell, former president at the University of Alabama for 10 years, participated in three forums throughout the afternoon on campus in Gainesville. The school last month announced that Bell, who has a doctorate in mechanical engineering, would also be interviewed by the Board of Trustees on June 10.
Amanda Phalin, a professor at the UF Warrington College of Business and a former member of the Board of Governors, said the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with the presidential search has been a “challenging environment.”
Last year, even though the UF Board of Trustees unanimously recommended Santa Ono, an immunologist who was the president of the University of Michigan, to be the next UF president, state university system leaders rejected UF’s recommendation.
The 10-6 vote from the Board of Governors came after a harsh grilling of Ono by allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republicans, who attacked Ono on issues such as diversity, equity and inclusion programs, pushing for UF’s next president to be more aligned with conservative ideology.
Some conservative activists have criticized Bell for DEI initiatives during his tenure as president at Alabama, but DeSantis posted support for Bell the day UF announced him as the sole finalist.
“Dr. Bell did much to elevate the University of Alabama when he was the president in Tuscaloosa and I have no doubt that he will help UF reach new heights during his tenure in Gainesville,” DeSantis posted on X.
Before serving as president of the University of Alabama, Bell served as provost and professor of engineering at Louisiana State University and as dean of the School of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Kansas.
Read more Cure Bowl to return to UCF’s Bounce House; dates set for Pop-Tarts, Citrus bowls
“Faculty are interested in a president who has academic bona fides, which Dr. Bell certainly does, and who also has experience running a large and complex organization, which Dr. Bell also does,” Phalin told the News Service of Florida.
Robert Cassanello, president of the United Faculty of Florida and a history professor at the University of Central Florida, isn’t convinced Bell’s academic resume will be enough to insulate the university from the governor’s influence.
“We’re seeing academics who have absolutely no problem bending their will to partisan lawmakers who want to wreak havoc on our university system,” Cassanello said.
He doesn’t have faith in the transparency of the presidential search process after lawmakers in 2022 created exemptions to public records and public meetings laws for searches. Under that law, only information about finalists for presidencies is made public.
“When the state Legislature put presidential searches in the dark, it created this corrupt system for hiring at our universities,” he said.
In the past couple of years, several of DeSantis’ allies have been selected to lead Florida universities and colleges: Manny Diaz Jr., former education commissioner, now serves as the president of the University of West Florida; Jeanette Nuñez, former lieutenant governor, was appointed as the president of Florida International University; former House Speaker and education commissioner Richard Corcoran is the president of New College; and most recently, former education commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas was named the sole finalist for president for Polk State College in Lakeland.
Read more Orlando reveals Pulse nightclub artifacts preserved in secret warehouse