Now is an interesting time to be a student at Florida Atlantic University. The university is currently facing a presidential search, provost search, and new legislation that went into effect on July 1.
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The president of a university oversees all academic and administrative aspects of running the institution, including research opportunity promotion, fundraising and budgeting. The president also assists in appointing a provost, who is the chief academic officer.
FAU’s provost stepped down in July 2022, preceding former President John Kelly’s resignation in December 2022. This led the Board of Trustees (BOT), the governing body of FAU, to appoint Vice President of Administrative Affairs Stacy Volnick as the interim president.
A month after FAU announced a national search for a provost, Kelly’s resignation forced FAU to pause its process in hopes that the new president can help choose the next provost.
After FAU announced finalists for the presidency, Chancellor Ray Rodrigues of the State University System of Florida, who is appointed by the Board of Governors (BOG), sent a letter to FAU BOT Chair Brad Levine.
He asked to suspend the search due to Florida Statutes violations during the selection process, such as a questionnaire about applicants’ gender and sexual identity and a straw poll. Levine accepted and suspended the presidential search until further notice. Nobody seems to know what will happen next.
DeSantis has more influence on higher education than you may realize. The BOT is composed of 13 members- six of which are appointed by DeSantis, and five by the Board of Governors. DeSantis also appoints members to the BOG—14 out of 17 of them.
Whether this was politically motivated or not, FAU needs a president. Students should be involved in this process and aware of what is happening because as much as it seems like the president and provost don’t have an effect on your education, they do. Students can get involved by reaching out to SG representatives and BOT Operations Andrew LaPant.
Check out more UP stories at upressonline.com and follow us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter (X) @upressonline. Click “Follow the FAU Presidential Search” at the top of the UP website to stay informed on the presidential search and learn about other issues affecting FAU.
Email [email protected] to get involved, send a letter to the editor, give us a story tip and for all other comments or questions. We’re here to inform you, and you can be a part of that. Florida’s state government and its employees aren’t always as forthcoming as we want, but you can help us better do our jobs.
Editor’s note: This story is in the UP’s latest issue, which can be found physically on the distribution boxes around campus.
Jessica Abramsky is the Editor-in-Chief of the University Press. For more information on this article or others, you can reach Jessica at [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @jessabramsky.
