Since the end of January, when FAU presidential candidate Dr. Stanley Fish dropped out of the running, there were no doubts as to which candidate would succeed former FAU president, Anthony Catanese. Undoubtedly though, there are still many questions as to how the search committee compared the candidates and by which criteria the now president-elect Lt. Gov. Frank T. Brogan was chosen.
The main issue raised around Jupiter’s MacArthur Campus was the loss of a highly qualified candidate such as Dr. Fish during the final round. While I cannot speculate what happened “behind closed doors” and refuse to give credence to conspiracy theories as to why Dr. Fish dropped out of the candidacy, I do want to bring up an irksome revelation that came to me after reading Larry Keller’s article, “Brogan Limelight Dims Bid by Lauded Academic,” in The Palm Beach Post.
According to Keller, Howard Guggenheim, a search committee member, viewed the role of the FAU president “as more of a business person rather than an academician.” While this is, on one hand, understandable, it is also problematic. The problems raised by this statement are manifold.
First and foremost, a university should prioritize its academic reputation over its business procedures or political connections. If a university wants to prioritize its political or business affiliations over its main goal of academics, perhaps it should consider transitioning itself from an academic institution to a vocational program. Even if a university is viewed as a corporation, I cannot imagine why a corporation specializing in a certain field, in this case post-secondary education, would hire a person only somewhat versed in the business etiquette of that field.
Secondly, the matter of certain trustees appointed by Florida Governor John Ellis Bush who were also involved in the committee is discomforting. If Lt. Governor Brogan had not been a candidate I would have fewer issues with this fact, but until someone proves otherwise, I will unfortunately look at the FAU presidential race as just another example of sticky Florida politics and an attempt to get a lifeline from Tallahassee by affiliating with the current gubernatorial administration.
Obviously there may be other reasons for the search committee in their choice, but what should concern the students of FAU should be the university’s reputation, not only statewide, but also nationwide. Perhaps FAU president-elect Brogan will indeed do a great job and I congratulate him on his appointment. What concerns me is not Brogan himself but the example FAU made to the rest of the country by selecting someone with no doctoral degree, and little experience in post-secondary education over another candidate, Dr. Thomas Hanley, not as well known, yet already established as a dean in the academic world.
Even more disconcerting is the fact that Dr. Stanley Fish will perhaps be the highly qualified candidate that “got away” due to the search committee’s unquenchable desire for Brogan. All in all, it is hardly a surprise that FAU chose the least qualified candidate available, in terms of experience within academe — it is just another example of the way FAU prioritizes.
