Stuart Bell, who last summer stepped down after a decade as president of the University of Alabama, was announced Monday as the lone finalist to be the University of Florida’s next president.
The Gainesville university’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee unanimously recommended Bell to the Board of Trustees, pointing to Alabama’s rise in national rankings under his watch.
The selection requires approval from the Trustees, who next meet June 11, and the State University System Board of Governors.
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“Dr. Bell possesses the qualities that make him a perfect fit for the University of Florida, including strong academic credentials and a proven track record of athletic success,” Rahul Patel, chairman of the search committee, said in a released statement.
Bell said it was an “opportunity to lead this top-tier university and help firmly establish UF among the nation’s top three public universities.”
Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini called Bell “the obvious choice” based on his academic achievements and experience at another state flagship university.
Hosseini also expressed “heartfelt gratitude” to Donald Landry, a physician and former chairman of the Columbia University Department of Medicine who last September took an extended leave to serve as interim UF president.
Landry’s contract provided an annual base salary of $2 million and included the potential for another $2 million in severance if he didn’t get the permanent job as president.
Landry’s appointment came four months after the Board of Governors voted 10-6 to reject the UF trustees’ choice of former University of Michigan leader Santa Ono to become president.
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After Ono was announced as the lone candidate for the presidency, conservatives --- including Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute and an appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees --- questioned Ono’s “evolution” on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Landry was picked to replace Kent Fuchs, a former UF president who became the school’s interim leader after Ben Sasse, a former U.S. senator from Nebraska, abruptly resigned as president in 2024.
Sasse’s five-year contract, approved by the board in 2022, included a $1 million base salary, with annual performance bonuses of up to 15 percent. His contract included a $1 million payout if he served the full five-year term.
When Bell announced in January 2025 that he would step down that summer as the 29th president of the University of Alabama, the school’s release stated the decision was made “as the University celebrates unparalleled achievements in enrollment, academic quality, research activity and funding, fundraising, athletics, campus development and more during his tenure.”
Bell served in leadership roles at Louisiana State University and the University of Kansas, before returning to the University of Alabama in July 2015. He had previously been the Tuscaloosa school's chairman of the mechanical engineering department and founder of the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies.
Bell earned a bachelor of science degree in nuclear engineering and later a doctorate in mechanical engineering, both from Texas A&M University.
He also served as president of the Southeastern Conference from 2023 to 2025 and on its Executive Committee from 2021 to 2025.
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The chorus backing Bell includes former Alabama football coach Nick Saban, who called him “an outstanding person” who was also “a great leader at the school.”
“In the locker room after almost every game, he is a good friend and passionate supporter of athletics --- and is someone who made a significant impact on the university and the Tuscaloosa community.” Saban said in a released statement. “I know he will do wonderful things in Gainesville!”
