FAU searches for new president
Law will keep candidates a secret unless they become finalists
Florida Atlantic University will start looking for a new president this month, but the public won’t get much of a glimpse into who applies.
The names of the candidates hoping to replace John Kelly, who stepped down Dec. 31 after 14 years, will remain secret unless they become finalists, according to a law passed last year by the state Legislature.
For recent searches at the University of Florida and Florida International University, there was only one finalist.
That’s not FAU’s plan, said Brad Levine, chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees. He said he expects a search committee to narrow the list down to three finalists, whose names will all become public — unless they drop out.
“If we select three, and two of them say, ‘I don’t want my name released unless I’m the number one candidate,’ and they pull themselves out, there’s really nothing you can do,” he said.
Levine said he hopes all three finalists will stay through the end and attend public forums with faculty, students and community members.
“My goal is to have multiple names in the end that will be interviewed and debated publicly,” Levine said.
Right now, longtime FAU administrator Stacy Volnick is serving as interim president. Volnick, who also will remain in her role as chief operating officer, has agreed not to apply for the permanent job.
“If I were interested in applying and that became public, I think that that would change the applicant pool,” Volnick said. “I’ve been here many years. I enjoy what I’m doing. I enjoy the university, but I think it’s an opportunity for someone to come in with a fresh perspective.”
Levine said FAU has hired a search firm and plans to hold a kickoff meeting for a search committee in late January. He will appoint the members of the search committee.
“We don’t have a defined timeline for when we must have our next president,” Levine said. “When we find the right candidate, that’s when we’ll be done. It’s better to find the right person than to artificially set some deadline.”
In past years, all applicants for president of state universities and community colleges were public record. But that changed in 2022, after legislators argued Florida’s broad public records law limited the talent pool, scaring off candidates who don’t want their current employers to know they are applying.
The Legislature decided to make names private unless the candidates make it to the “final group of applicants.” The law doesn’t specify what size the group must be.
Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers released the names of three finalists for its president in November but then decided to start over after two of the finalists dropped out.
But FIU and UF announced only one finalist, who each got the job.
A statement on FIU’s website in September said interim President Kenneth Jessell was the only finalist for the permanent job “due to an unwillingness by other individuals to continue their candidacy, unless they were the sole recommendation of the committee.”
A UF spokesman gave a similar explanation. The university’s announcement of Ben Sasse, a Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska and the former president of a small private university in the state, as the sole finalist led to protests from students and faculty.
“Every single prospect the search committee interviewed requested complete confidentiality unless they were named as the sole finalist,” UF spokesman Steve Orlando said. “These were leaders in exceptionally important positions across the academy, business and the public sector.
“While the desire for making the names of these individuals public is understandable, it was crucial that we follow their wishes so that they can continue leading their important work and we could attract the best candidates,” Orlando said.
He said that almost all of the top 10-ranked public universities in the country announced only one finalist in their most recent presidential searches.
State Sen. Lori Berman, a Palm Beach County Democrat whose district includes FAU’s main campus in Boca Raton, voted against the law that exempts candidate names.
“I was really upset about the University of Florida search because the bill sponsor assured us that the final three candidates would be released. And we all know ... only one of the final candidates was released,” she said. “I think that will now become the standard. I am worried that the multitude of the university presidents that are open will be handled in the same manner, including FAU,” Berman said.
Many Florida university faculty opposed the law. They’ve voiced a growing concern about the increasing influence Gov. Ron DeSsantis and the state Legislature have had on universities, challenging tenure and racial equity and diversity efforts.
Deandre Poole, a communications instructor who serves as the president of FAU chapter of the United Faculty of Florida union, said he has concerns about how the law will affect FAU’s search.
“It limits transparency. It doesn’t keep the process open,” Poole said. “From a faulty perspective, we want to know the experience and background of the presidential applicants.”
Barbara Feingold, vice chairwoman of the FAU Board of Trustees, said she believes it’s better to not conduct a public search.
“It’s difficult for the applicants and difficult for the community,” she said. “When too many people in the community are involved, it causes more problems. It’s more hurtful than helpful.”
Once known as a school serving commuter students and community college transfers, FAU has morphed into a more traditional campus in recent years, greatly expanding its on-campus housing, student life and and sports.
The university has been rapidly expanding into the health sciences, partnering with biotech partners on his Jupiter campus and adding a medical school in recent years. FAU is now seeking state approval to add a dental school.
Kelly, who could not be reached for comment, is credited with boosting FAU’s health and research focus while also raising four-year graduation rates from 30% to 50% in nine years.