Former state Rep. Adam Hasner faced student protests and a grilling from faculty as he made his case to be Florida Atlantic University’s next president.
The former RepublicanHouse majority leader from Boca Raton toured three of the public university’s six campuses Friday.
Hasner made his case as a moderate candidate, leaning away from his reputation as a deeply partisan politician and emphasizing his commitment to “setting the right tone and the right culture as a Hispanic institution (with) a majority-minority student body,” he said during the day’s first forum on the university’s Davie campus.
FAU has one of the most diverse student bodies among the state’s public universities ― with roughly two-thirds of students identifying as non-white, according to a 2023 report.
It consistently ranks among the top 40 schools in the nation in U.S. News and World Report’s ranking for social mobility.
Hasner was greeted by dozens of student protesters on the school’s Boca Raton campus, holding signs reading, “No to Hasner,” and “Students not prisoners,” referring to Hasner’s current role as an executive at Geo Group, a private prison contractor.
“Hasner is only under consideration because he’s a political ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who wants to make FAU the next battleground of his regrettable culture war,” said Nicholas Ostheimer, president of FAU College Democrats.
Topics raised by faculty and students ranged from tenure, student safety and what some view as the Florida Legislature’s hostile stance toward diversity, equity and inclusion on campus.
Hasner responded to questions regarding his political past with a promise to defend open discourse on campus.
“Given the toxicity of political discourse, one thing I hope to bring, through my life working with folks from different backgrounds,” he said, is that “if we don’t agree, we do it respectfully.”
One professor asked Hasner how he could claim to support diversity after boycotting an opening prayer by a Tampa imam during the 2009 legislative session.
“My commitment is to make sure there is a culture of inclusivity in which people can disagree respectfully,” Hasner said. “I think that was just an example of a respectful disagreement.”
Hasner promised to be a presence on campus and to meet regularly with faculty and student organizations. He said he’d learned about coalition building during his time running for office and serving in the Florida House ― a time during which he repeated former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s assertion that he was the “most partisan Republican in Tallahassee,” according to the Miami Herald .
Hasner’s moderation in front of faculty and students mirrors the promises of unity that New College of Florida trustee Christopher Rufo and former trustee Eddie Spier made while visiting that campus shortly after being appointed by DeSantis.
“New College has come under the thumb of a radical board of trustees and administration,” said FAU art history professor Karen Leader. “Now we feel that we’re in the crosshairs.”
If selected, Hasner would add to a growing trend of former legislators taking the president’s office at Florida’s public universities.
Seven of the past nine college and university presidents in Florida have been former lawmakers. Hours before Hasner spoke in Boca Raton, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez was tapped as interim president of Florida International University.
“The most important role for a university president, particularly in the state of Florida and as a public university,” Hasner said,is that“you need someone who is going to be a top advocate and top lobbyist for the university in Tallahassee.”
He pointed to his long-standing connection with the school, including his role in establishing FAU’s College of Medicine, which he described as his “most transformative achievement” while in the Legislature.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Hasner’s former role in the Florida House of Representatives. He served as the House majority leader.