New University Presidents Approved

By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE — As Gov. Ron DeSantis seeks to remake higher education in Florida, the state university system’s Board of Governors on Wednesday signed off on controversial new leaders at two universities and approved hiring a former lieutenant governor as president of a third.

The board’s confirmations of the DeSantis’ allies cemented decisions by university boards of trustees to hire former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez as president of Florida International University, Marva Johnson as president of Florida A&M University and Education Commissioner Manny Díaz Jr. as interim president of the University of West Florida.

Amid widespread opposition from alumni, students and faculty members, Florida A&M trustees voted 8-4 on May 16 to choose Johnson, a Charter Communications executive and former chairwoman of the State Board of Education, over three other finalists as president of the state’s only historically Black public university.

Opposition to Johnson’s selection was evident before Wednesday’s unanimous board vote, as members of the audience booed when her nomination was introduced.

“We’re not gonna have that. I appreciate everyone’s sentiment and emotion. This is the Board of Governors. We’re going to have decorum,” Board of Governors Chairman Brian Lamb responded.

A number of Johnson’s opponents — including students — urged the board to reject her selection.

“As students, as primary stakeholders … we are very concerned about the future of our university,” FAMU student Devin Nobles Jr. said. “The candidate does not meet the qualifications as set for us by our own presidential search committee.”

Board of Governors member Alan Levine defended Johnson, saying she demonstrated “resilience and spine” amid the public attacks.

“She deserves this opportunity because she earned it,” Levine said.

The board approved a compensation package for Johnson that includes a base salary of $650,000 a year. Johnson also will be eligible for annual performance bonuses of $86,000 and would be able to receive “retention” payments of $150,000 in August 2028 and August 2030 if she remains president. FAMU’s interim president Timothy Beard earns $400,000 annually.

State law caps the amount of taxpayer money for university presidents at $200,000. The remainder is paid by organizations affiliated with the schools.

But on Monday night, the House and Senate passed a budget-related bill that could help cover Johnson’s costs. The measure, which needs approval from DeSantis, would allow Florida A&M trustees to use “available reserves or carry forward balances from previous years’ operational and programmatic appropriations” or other available funds “for remuneration of the president” of the school.

Addressing the board Wednesday, Johnson tried to reassure critics that she is committed to leading the Tallahassee-based school in an evolving higher-education landscape and pledged to work together to “chart a unified path to elevate student success.”

“As I step into this role, I recognize the legacy that I carry,” Johnson said. “To the Rattler community … I am listening and I hear your dreams and I hear your concerns and my door will always be open.”

Audience members opposed to Johnson’s appointment turned their backs as she spoke and as the board voted.

The University of West Florida’s selection of Díaz to succeed outgoing President Martha Saunders also drew pushback from many of the Pensacola-based school’s supporters. The interim appointment places Díaz at the front of the line to become UWF president. A Hialeah Republican, Diaz served in the state House and Senate before becoming education commissioner.

The Board of Governors on Wednesday approved a compensation package for Diaz that includes an annual salary of $643,000, nearly double his current salary of $324,000. Díaz’s compensation also will include $16,000 for “the use of his personal automobile,” a $60,000 housing allowance and up to $24,000 in relocation expenses “to acquire a furnished residence in close proximity to the university.” In addition, the package will cover “annual dues and fees for membership in one or more Pensacola-area organizations.” He is scheduled to start the position July 14.

Nuñez’s appointment as president of FIU, her alma mater, was not as contentious Wednesday.

Nuñez stepped down as lieutenant governor to become interim FIU president in February. She emerged last month as the sole finalist to become president and is slated to receive a five-year contract with a base salary of $925,000 and annual performance bonuses of up to $400,000.

Nuñez, a former state representative, who received bachelor’s and master’s degrees at FIU, told the board that her time as a student at the Miami-based school “absolutely changed the trajectory of my life.”

The leadership changes approved Wednesday further brought into focus efforts by DeSantis and other Republicans to push higher education into closer alignment with conservative ideology.

Richard Corcoran, a former Republican House speaker and education commissioner closely aligned with DeSantis, took over as president of New College of Florida in 2023 and is shepherding a shift to the right at the liberal-arts school.

Florida Atlantic University trustees selected former House Majority Leader Adam Hasner as president in February.

George Mason University professor Judith Wilde, an expert in university presidential searches and compensation, said in a recent interview that, while the hiring of ideologically aligned leaders isn’t unique, “most other states haven’t gone as far towards the political patronage side as Florida has.”

DeSantis and education leaders in Texas are offering blueprints for other conservatives to “engage in the politicization of higher education and erode academic freedom,” Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, told The News Service of Florida.

“They are attempting to replace what they perceive as a woke ideological agenda with their own ideological agenda, and in the process, casting the pall of orthodoxy. They’ve been very clear in saying, ‘Our goal is to discredit higher education,’” Pasquerella said.