A dozen or so members of the University of South Florida community offered their thoughts on the qualities the next president should have in a virtual meeting Tuesday.
The majority were faculty who underscored concerns over academic freedom.
A little over a month after the Board of Governors turned down the presidential pick approved by the University of Florida’s board of trustees, USF sought community input in the qualities their next leader should have. The virtual gathering Tuesday lasted about a half hour.
Steven Surrency, a faculty member in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, said he hoped the position profile would emphasize the need for academic freedom in the current political climate.
“I’m very concerned that political considerations will overwhelm the academic considerations, and academic freedom is, in my view, very important at this time,” he said. “Of course, we need a president who’s politically savvy. Of course, we need someone who can interact with the government well and with the legislature as well. But in my view, what is the biggest risk here is finding a candidate who is not willing to fight for academic freedom.”
Adam Farcus, an art professor, said that would be essential to retaining faculty and students.
“I see among colleagues a fear that the kind of research and kind of teaching — that we think is important and should be done — is being vilified, and that would lead people to do less effective education and to look for work other places where they feel like they have the academic freedom,” he said.
Xingmin Sun with USF Health, said the next president should be able to secure donations and work with a state government to secure funding.
One student hoped for a candidate that would improve transportation options for students without cars, and two alumni spoke of better tapping into the alumni base.
LaShante Keys, chair of the Black Alumni Society, also said he hoped the next president would be committed to diversifying the university population outside of just athletics, despite the state and federal crackdowns on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Mike Griffin, search committee chair, thanked those who spoke and said the community could also provide input via an online survey.
The search committee will hold its first meeting Aug. 6.
A spokesperson for UF said there are no updates to their search process.