It鈥檚 been more than two months since the search for Florida Atlantic University鈥檚 new president was called off, under pressure from state officials who alleged 鈥渁苍辞尘补濒颈别蝉鈥� in the process. The delay has left the school and its three finalist candidates in limbo 鈥� and there鈥檚 still no clear timeline of when the suspension will be lifted.
, the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida, is defending his decision to halt the search and launch a full-scale investigation, headed by a state inspector general.
鈥淚t is imperative that we promote uniform application of our [regulations] to maintain integrity in all presidential searches,鈥� Rodrigues said Friday at a meeting of the Florida , which oversees the state鈥檚 public universities.
鈥淭he interests of the Board of Governors lie beyond just the integrity of the search and selection process used in the FAU presidential search,鈥� he added. 鈥淩ather, the Board of Governors is responsible for oversight and governance for the entire university system.鈥�
The search was called off after Gov. Ron DeSantis' preferred candidate was not named a finalist.
FAU officials have defended their process, with one of the school鈥檚 search committee members and top donors saying he felt by the claims made by Rodrigues.
No set timeline for search suspension
Back in July, Rodrigues penned a letter to FAU鈥檚 presidential search committee, claiming there were 鈥渁苍辞尘补濒颈别蝉鈥� in the process and pressuring the committee鈥檚 chair, , to halt the search.
Rodrigues took issue with the search committee for conducting a straw poll to gauge top candidates, and a consulting firm for sending candidates a voluntary survey that included questions about their sexual orientation and gender identity 鈥� a practice which the firm maintains is in its searches across the country.
READ MORE: It's been more than a month since FAU's presidential search was suspended. Tensions are flaring
At Friday鈥檚 BOG meeting, Board Vice Chair questioned whether the demographic survey had any effect on the search process. The firm, AGB Search, has maintained that the questionnaire was voluntary and anonymous, and that any data was disaggregated from candidates鈥� applications. FAU says it had no knowledge that the questions were even being asked.
鈥淪o FAU had no information and therefore that information did not come into any 鈥� bearing with regards to the selection process?鈥� Silagy asked Rodrigues.
鈥淭hat is what they鈥檝e said,鈥� Rodrigues replied.
鈥淗as that been contradicted by anybody else?鈥� Silagy asked.
鈥淲e haven't completed the investigation,鈥� Rodrigues said.
In his update to the board, Rodrigues didn鈥檛 give specific details on how long the suspension will last.
鈥淭here have been some delays because both AGB Search firm and FAU have retained outside counsel. We are now working with AGB and FAU through legal counsel, but nevertheless remain steadfast in completing a fair and thorough investigation,鈥� Rodrigues said.
鈥淚 trust that we will soon have a comprehensive audit report of the facts and findings. That will then guide our next steps,鈥� he added.
According to Levine, the FAU official and chair of the school鈥檚 , the inspector general is expected to complete her investigation sometime in November, though she could finish her review sooner.
Board of Governors requests legal opinion from Florida AG
On Friday, the BOG voted to from Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on whether the committee鈥檚 straw poll may have run afoul of the state鈥檚 .
That opinion could prompt the board to update its guidance to universities on how to conduct presidential searches.
Chair Levine has consistently defended the search process as robust, transparent and fair, noting that the school netted , including 12 current or former university or system presidents, eight executive vice presidents and five provosts, according to FAU. The school鈥檚 three finalists are:
- Vice Admiral Sean Buck, superintendent of the United States Naval Academy
- Michael Hartline, dean of the College of Business at Florida State University
- Jose Sartarelli, former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Speaking at FAU鈥檚 most recent Board of Trustees meeting, Levine said finding the school鈥檚 next president is a time-sensitive endeavor.
鈥淚 am both proud of and grateful for the search committee's efforts,鈥� Levine said. 鈥淲e feel strongly that our search complied with all legal requirements. And we would like to resume our search as soon as possible.鈥�
READ MORE: FAU faculty, top donor outraged by suspension of presidential search
Critics suspect that state officials stepped in to halt the search because Republican State Rep. , was not named a finalist. It鈥檚 not publicly known if Fine even applied for the job, because of a recently passed state law that largely keeps university presidential searches behind closed doors.
For months, faculty members have been raising the alarm about the prospect of Fine鈥檚 candidacy and the potential for political interference. An ally of DeSantis and a self-described 鈥渃onservative firebrand," Fine was a co-sponsor of , labeled by critics as the 鈥淒on鈥檛 Say Gay鈥� law and has pledged to fight 鈥渨okeism across our state."
FAU, with its flagship campus in Boca Raton, serves and is known as the most diverse public university in the state, with 27% of students identifying as Hispanic and 20% as Black, as of .
The school is seen as a national model for promoting , helping catapult students from low income backgrounds into the middle class.
