Florida Polytechnic University has chosen five finalists to become its next president.
The Lakeland school’s presidential search committee announced the finalists’ names in a news release Monday, following a committee vote on Friday.
None of the five are currently associated with Florida Poly. Two of them hold a position in a Florida college or university.
Here are the finalists:
- H. Keith Moo-Young, the vice provost and dean of undergraduate education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.
- David P. Norton, the vice president for research at the University of Florida. He’s also a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
- Daniel W. O’ Sullivan, the vice provost and a professor of chemistry at the U.S. Naval Academy.
- G. Devin Stephenson, the president of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.
- Bjong Wolf Yeigh, a professor of engineering at the University of Washington Bothell. He was the university’s third chancellor from 2013 to 2021.
The five will be presented to the Florida Poly Board of Trustees for consideration, according to the release. They will hold in-person interviews with the board and have campus forums with students, faculty, and staff.
“I appreciate the hard work and effort made by the Presidential Search Committee to see the process through to this point. They have identified exceptionally qualified candidates, and the board and I are looking forward to the next phase of this important endeavor,” Board of Trustees Chair Cliff Otto said in the release.
“Selecting the next president is one of the most critical roles we have as a board and I’m confident we will find the right candidate to lead Florida Poly into its next decade.”
The presidential search comes after Randy Avent, Florida Poly’s current and only president, announced he will leave the position at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.
He plans to travel to Spain to work on a research project at the University of Barcelona. Avent was named last week as the 2024-2025 recipient of the Fulbright-Schuman Innovation Award, which is given to one American scholar annually. Avent will look at the role of academic research in economic development, with a focus on the difference between America and Europe.
Once he completes his research, Avent plans to return to the university as a faculty member.
