The Florida Board of Governors approved two new university presidents and one interim president during a meeting Wednesday that had a vastly different tenor from a meeting just weeks ago.
In early June, the Board of Governors voted downSanta Ono as University of Florida president despite unanimous approval by UF’s board. The Board of Governors killed his nomination, citing concerns about him being too “woke” after a series of questions in which he was asked to define “whiteness” and if any of his former employees had “cut off minor boys’ genitals or girls’ breasts.”
On Wednesday, the board unanimously OK’d Gov. Ron DeSantis allies to lead three other universities.
Jeanette Nuñez, formerly DeSantis’ lieutenant governor, will become president of Florida International University; Marva Johnson, a former state Board of Education chairperson, will become president of Florida A&M University; and Manny Diaz Jr., the state’s education commissioner, will become interim president of the University of West Florida.
But the meeting was not without friction.
An outpouring of Florida A&M alumni, students and community members — including Board of Governors chairperson Brian Lamb’s former high school teacher — raised concerns at the meeting over Johnson’s qualifications and track record at the Department of Education to lead the state’s only public historic black college or university. The Florida A&M board of trustees voted 8-4 to approve Johnson as the candidate, but a lawsuit was filed raising concerns over the process and whether there was a violation of state law.
Board of Governors member Eric Silagy asked the Florida A&M board of trustees chairperson if she felt comfortable with the process.
The chairperson, Kristin Harper, responded that the majority vote had brought the candidate to this point. But she expressed concerns to the Board of Governors about the process. Lamb later asked if the school’s board would help Johnson if she were selected. Harper said she would.
Board of Governors member Alan Levine apologized to Johnson for the “very public and unfair series of allegations about you that were unfair and unnecessary.” Several commenters had questioned Johnson’s qualifications and lack of university experience.
“She deserves this opportunity because she earned it,” Levine said.
Johnson said the moment should not be about her, but about the university.
“It is about the generations of rattlers who built this university, brick by brick, protest by protest, victory by hard-fought victory,” she said.
Silagy also raised concerns about Diaz’s interim president contract with the University of West Florida. The contract does not tie any part of Diaz’s salary to performance but instead bumps up the base pay and includes a relocation stipend. While the past president earned $536,000 in base pay and could earn an additional $107,000 based on performance, Diaz will earn $643,000 as base pay. The UWF board chairperson and Diaz said it is to compensate for annuities not included.
Silagy said his questions were not aimed at Diaz but about the optics of the contract, implying it had been set up for Diaz to take the permanent spot without a robust search process.
“I’m afraid that’s going to chill significantly the interest from really highly qualified candidates,” he said.
Silagy asked if the current president had been offered the opportunity to stay on during the search. The board chairperson said she honored the resignation letter.
Diaz said he intended to apply for the permanent president position.