Members of the State University System Board of Governors on Wednesday said they were “disappointed,” and “saddened,” about the controversy surrounding the delay of the University of Florida’s next president.
At one point, the meeting devolved into an argument between BOG Chairman Alan Levine and the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini over the allegations of “governance issues” that led to the postponement of Dr. Stuart Bell’s confirmation as UF’s 14th president.
BOG members were split, with some backing Levine and others backing Hosseini, but all said they wanted to move past the heated dispute.
“I am extremely disappointed where we are as a board, because it does not advance student achievement,” said board member Anastasios Kamoutsas, also the outgoing Education Commissioner.
“We’ve spent so much time today, not focused on what matters most,” Kamoutsas said. “What is now being read in the media by students at the University of Florida was that the delay of this presidential vote is something they should be worried about.”
The meeting, held at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, was scheduled to last 40 minutes but stretched more than two hours.
In his introductory remarks, Levine defended himself and doubled down on his concerns about UF’s governance, saying they should be addressed before the university approves a new president and are not because he wants to block Bell’s confirmation.
“I’m not making this up, and my issues here are not arbitrary,” Levine said.
Hosseini, however, pushed back and asked why he was bringing his concerns to the BOG right before a crucial vote. He also criticized Levine’s leadership before being ruled out of order.
“When I was chair of this board, I used to say we as a board of governors, we have to protect, promote and hold our universities accountable,” Hosseini said. “You only talk about accountability. What happened to your protection? What happened to your promotion?”
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In a May 20 letter to State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, Levine wrote he was concerned about the “sweeping authority” granted to Hosseini by the UF board and therefore would not put any item on the agenda from a university that is “out of compliance.”
That left the presidential confirmation, along with a bond issuance for UF for new student housing and the extension of Florida Gulf Coast University’s president, on hold.
Levine alleged Hosseini has been granted “financial, contractual and other delegations that I feel are problematic, inconsistent with best practices in governance,” and run afoul of state regulations. He said he sent those allegations to the board’s inspector general and would put the items back on the agenda once UF’s governing board was in compliance.
News of the letter sent by Levine alarmed UF, and days later, the university’s board unanimously appointed Bell as the interim president as a result.
“When you sent that letter, Tallahassee exploded,” said BOG Vice Chairman Tim Cerio.
Cerio defended Levine and argued candidates weren’t applying to become UF’s president because of Hosseini’s leadership as chairman.
He also cautioned members before asking Attorney General James Uthmeier to weigh in, saying: “We don’t want to foster a culture where every time there’s a disagreement, someone goes to the AG’s office.”
Uthmeier’s office issued an opinion late Friday, one day after news of Levine's letter published, stating the BOG has no legal basis to delay the confirmation vote for Bell as UF president.
Uthmeier and members of his staff have defended Bell on social media, as online conservative activists have attacked him for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives while he was president of the University of Alabama.
UF’s presidential search has been plagued with issues and has already seen one finalist fail to be approved by the BOG over similar DEI concerns.
Santa Ono was approved by the UF board but ran into opposition from conservative activists who flagged his support for DEI programs while he was president of the University of Michigan.
Board member Ashley Lukis called the controversy surrounding Bell’s confirmation and Levine’s letter a “circus.”
“It looks like this board is capitulating to social media, and it’s a shame,” she said.
At the end of the two-hour discussion, the BOG’s nomination and governance committee voted to start the process of hiring a third party to review governance standards across the state university system.
The confirmation of Bell is slated for the BOG meeting on July 1.
