DeSantis exerts heavy-handed political interference in university presidential searches

It’s been eight months since Florida Atlantic University president John Kelly retired, and since then — amid a stalled search for a replacement that critics say has become politicized — the school’s leadership has become increasingly populated by placeholders.

Stacy Volnick, the school’s chief operating officer, is serving as interim president until a new leader is appointed.

The school’s provost — its top academic official — is also an interim appointee. So is the vice president for research. And the vice president for institutional advancement.

Also interims: the CEO of the FAU Foundation and the deans of the college of medicine and college of undergraduate studies.

Before the FAU search was abruptly halted the finalists included Vice Admiral Sean Buck, who has led the U.S. Naval Academy since 2019; Jose Sartarelli, who served as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington from 2015 to 2022; and Michael Hartline, who currently serves as the dean of the College of Business at Florida State University.  

The search was suspended by State University System chancellor Ray Rodrigues, a close ally of Governor Ron DeSantis and former Republican lawmaker who cited “concerning information” and “anomalies” in the process.  Critics say he was motivated less by procedural glitches than by the absence of one particular finalist: Randy Fine, a state representative and the preferred choice of DeSantis, a fellow Republican. Fine’s name had been floated for months, even as he downplayed his interest in taking the top executive job at FAU.

When Rodrigues halted the search, he took issue with the university search committee for conducting a straw poll to identify the top candidates. He also criticized the firm that led the search for administering a voluntary survey that asked candidates about their views on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The firm—AGB Search—has defended its processes.  

It should be noted that prior to being selected as Chancellor, Rodrigues’ only higher experience was serving for 17 years as Director of Interagency Partnerships, Director of Community Relations, and Business Manager for the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Fine, for his part, recently told a local TV station, “What leadership at FAU should do is shut its mouth, stop trying to put out propaganda, and allow the Board of Governors to do their job.”
 
FAU, however, is not the only Florida institution to experience irregularities in the hunt for a new leader in recent months.  

'DeSantis doesn't appoint all Republican trustees and expect them to hire a democrat'
A failed search at Florida Gulf Coast University was rebooted, with an internal candidate hired over a DeSantis ally in April by one vote.  After a search at South Florida State College failed in May, the board hired Fred Hawkins, a Republican state lawmaker and DeSantis ally, as its new president. South Florida State College trustee Louis Kirschner  told The Tampa Bay Times that “the governor doesn’t appoint all Republican trustees and expect us to select a Democrat.”

When South Florida State College’s presidential search—led by the Association of Community College Trustees—failed in May, it was quickly rebooted, minus the requirement that candidates have an advanced degree. Hawkins, a former rodeo cowboy whose highest credential is a bachelor’s degree, soon emerged as the sole finalist. His degree makes him an anomaly in higher education: only 0.6 percent of college presidents have a bachelor’s degree as their highest credential.  

These latest searches follow UF's surprising selection of former United States Senator Dr. Ben Sasse who was the sole finalist for consideration by its Board of Trustees who will select the 13th president of the University of Florida in October 2022.

Gov. DeSantis’ increasing political influence in Florida’s higher education in the state has raised several red flags among many higher education observers in the state, and nationally. 

Another DeSantis ally also seems poised to step into a presidential post: Richard Corcoran, currently the interim president at New College of Florida, is one of the three finalists for the full-time position. Corcoran, a former Republican lawmaker, was named interim president shortly after DeSantis appointed a swath of new trustees to NCF in January.  Corcoran was awarded a base salary of $699,000 ($1,000 per student enrolled) nearly $394,000 more than his predecessor who quickly pushed out President Patricia Okker. 

NCF’s Trustees opted not to hire a search firm to find her replacement, entrusting a committee to handle the task. Many observers suggest that NCF’s presidential search seems predetermined.

These latest searches follow the University of Florida's Presidential Search Committee recommendation of United States Senator Dr. Ben Sasse as the sole finalist for president last October.  

In light of the recent spate of failed presidential searches— combined with DeSantis’s legislative broadsides on higher education Florida’s higher educational landscape is in an interesting place, and many public institutions in the state are hard pressed to attract high-quality candidates for president given the interference.