Broward College has officially launched the for its next president. It鈥檚 the latest Florida school in need of another top leader, at a time of turbulence and turnover among the state鈥檚 higher education executives.
With approximately 50,000 students and 4,000 faculty and staff, Broward College is among South Florida鈥檚 largest institutions of higher ed, offering two and four-year degrees, workforce training and continuing education across three primary campuses.
READ MORE: Broward College needs a new president - again
The presidential search comes as the college鈥檚 Board of Trustees is scrutinizing administrative oversight of spending and working to align the school鈥檚 operations with its core mission.
鈥淲e do not enjoy the luxury of time to wait another year or two to hire a president,鈥� said Board Chair Alexis Yarbrough. 鈥淲e need someone now.鈥�
The school has been without a permanent president since last October, when then-President Gregory Haile abruptly resigned. Longtime BC administrator Barbara Bryan was named acting president, though she wasn鈥檛 the first choice.
The board鈥檚 top pick was Henry Mack III, a chancellor in Gov. Ron DeSantis鈥� Department of Education, but Mack dropped out hours after being tapped for the job.
Bryan鈥檚 six-month contract ended on April 3, after she announced she didn鈥檛 want to extend her employment.
Now longtime BC administrator is serving as acting president, though he鈥檚 made clear he鈥檚 a 鈥渟topgap鈥� and has no interest in applying for the permanent job.
A soft deadline of May 3
The is now live and candidates have about a month to apply. For best consideration, applicants should submit their materials by May 3, 2024, but candidates who come in after that date may still be considered.
鈥淲e use the term 鈥榖est consideration鈥� for this purpose 鈥� it鈥檚 not a hard deadline,鈥� said Kenny Daugherty of the search firm Myers McRae, which was contracted by the college to oversee the job hunt.
鈥淚f on May the 4th a really good candidate comes in, that way you can consider them,鈥� he told the board. 鈥淲e want you to have the flexibility.鈥�
The school plans to have the new president on the job beginning July 1, 2024, ahead of the fall semester.
Minimum requirements include:
- A master鈥檚 degree from a regionally accredited institution, though preference will be given to candidates with an earned doctorate degree
- 15 years of successful, senior-level administrative experience in higher education
- An equivalent combination of education and executive-level experience may be alternatively considered
School officials want a high-level executive with 鈥減roven public institution experience to advance this college," according to the job posting.
鈥淭he College seeks a strategic visionary with the experience and ability to integrate with the external constituents of the college, e.g., the local business community and state government,鈥� the job posting reads in part.
鈥淭hey must inspire excellence in others and bring exceptional experience and enthusiasm for leadership within and beyond the walls of the college.鈥�
An increasingly political job
In recent months and years, multiple conservative politicians have been tapped to lead the state鈥檚 public colleges and universities, over the protests of , faculty and advocates.
Among the high profile presidential appointments that have drawn sharp criticism by the and others are former Florida Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran at New College and former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) at the University of Florida.
Most recently, , who chairs the Florida House Judiciary Committee, was named the next president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.
Yarbrough, the chair of the Broward College board, has acknowledged it鈥檚 a challenging time to be in the market for a new president.
A new state law requires that much of the process play out behind closed doors 鈥� keeping the public largely in the dark. And state officials have been strictly scrutinizing other searches for any perceived missteps.
The legal requirements governing the search are 鈥渋ncredibly technical and different than anywhere else in the country,鈥� said Yarbrough. 鈥淔lorida is a very unique landscape.鈥�
鈥淥ne mistake will make us start the whole process over,鈥� Yarbrough said.
