The\u00a0Florida Board of Governors\u00a0received\u00a0a\u00a0brief\u00a0update on\u00a0university\u00a0presidential\u00a0searches at a meeting\u00a0on Thursday,\u00a0including the University of Florida.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
At its Feb. 23 meeting, the UF Board of Trustees\u00a0approved\u00a0a set of\u00a0revised\u00a0presidential\u00a0qualifications\u00a0and criteria<\/a>\u00a0recommended by the 15-member Presidential\u00a0Search\u00a0Advisory Committee. The search advisory committee\u00a0was\u00a0established\u00a0in\u00a0December 2025<\/a>\u00a0to lead the search for the university\u2019s 14th\u00a0president.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0modifications to the qualifications and criteria were\u00a0based on feedback\u00a0the search advisory committee had received from three listening sessions\u00a0held in\u00a0January<\/a>\u00a0and February, as well as an online stakeholder survey.\u00a0<\/p>\n Become A Member<\/p>\n Mainstreet does not have a paywall, but pavement-pounding journalism is not free. Join your neighbors who make this vital work possible.<\/p>\n Also, during the Feb. 23 meeting, the\u00a0board\u00a0approved\u00a0the search advisory committee\u2019s recommended presidential prospectus and advertisement based on those\u00a0qualifications\u00a0and\u00a0criteria and other \u201cupdated information regarding UF\u2019s accomplishments and stature,\u201d according to the meeting agenda.\u00a0The\u00a0Board of Trustees\u00a0also voted to\u00a0pay UF\u2019s next president an\u00a0annual salary of up to $3 million<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n During\u00a0Thursday\u2019s\u00a0meeting, Board of Governors Member Edward Haddock, who\u00a0also serves\u00a0on the\u00a0search\u00a0advisory committee,\u00a0said the current focus is on\u00a0\u201cdeveloping a good pool of candidates\u00a0that the search committee can review\u00a0and use to identify prospects.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re making good progress there,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll\u00a0get that wrapped up\u00a0in due time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n UF has\u00a0not had\u00a0a permanent president in place since\u00a0Ben Sasse took over\u00a0the role\u00a0in\u00a02023<\/a>.\u00a0After 17 months in the position, Sasse, UF\u2019s 13th\u00a0president,\u00a0resigned in July 2024<\/a>, citing his wife\u2019s\u00a0health\u00a0issues and a need to spend more time\u00a0with family.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n A months-long search brought UF leaders to Santa Ono, who, at the time, was serving as the president of the University of Michigan. However, Ono, after\u00a0being selected as the\u00a0sole finalist<\/a>\u00a0for UF\u2019s president position and\u00a0receiving\u00a0unanimous support<\/a>\u00a0from the Board of Trustees,\u00a0was\u00a0rejected by the Board of\u00a0Governors<\/a>\u00a0by way\u00a0of a 10-6 vote in June 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n In August 2025, the Board of Trustees\u00a0voted\u00a0unanimously<\/a>\u00a0to appoint Donald Landry, then-Columbia University professor, as UF\u2019s next interim president. He succeeded Kent Fuchs, who had been\u00a0serving in an interim capacity<\/a>\u00a0following Sasse\u2019s resignation.\u00a0Fuchs served as UF\u2019s 12th\u00a0president from 2015 to 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n