Torey Alston, a FAMU graduate and former member of the university’s Board of Trustees, was formally installed as Broward College’s eighth president on Friday during a traditional investiture ceremony steeped in academic regalia and centuries-old ritual. Yet the pomp of the occasion stood in stark contrast to mounting scrutiny over his selection, which critics argue underscores the increasingly political and opaque nature of presidential appointments at Florida’s public colleges under Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Alston, a longtime DeSantis political appointee with no prior experience in higher education administration, assumed leadership of the 63,000-student institution after a secretive search process that excluded faculty and student input. His résumé includes roles as a DeSantis-administration transportation official, school board member (appointed), and county commissioner (appointed), but no direct ties to classroom instruction, academic research, or college operations.
The only other finalist for the position was a principal at a construction consulting and real estate firm, leaving faculty representatives to lament what one called the search a “race to the bottom” in candidate qualifications.
The investiture, held at the college’s downtown Fort Lauderdale campus, adhered to tradition: a procession of robed faculty, the conferral of a ceremonial medallion, and pledges to uphold academic values. Such ceremonies, rooted in medieval European custom, are designed to affirm a president’s scholarly mandate.
Alston, in brief remarks after his installation, emphasized his commitment to workforce development and “student success.” DeSantis’ office praised the appointment, calling Alston “a proven leader who understands Governor DeSantis’ vision for innovation in education.”
Governor DeSantis has reshaped Florida’s higher education landscape through legislation and appointments, mandating conservative reforms on diversity programs and curriculum while installing allies to college boards.
Faculty and students at Broward College, applauded Alston’s pledges to expand workforce training partnerships, while others worry the college—a critical engine of social mobility in South Florida—is becoming a political instrument.
Alston, a Broward County native and graduate of Blanche Ely High School, begins his tenure, with hope and promise as DeSantis' strong hold of political influence in Florida shows no signs of waning.
Torrey we know what you diddy to get that position
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