{"id":40919,"date":"2025-11-10T15:08:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T15:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/40919\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T15:08:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T15:08:07","slug":"fsu-focused-on-mccullough-tallahassee-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/40919\/","title":{"rendered":"FSU Focused on McCullough \u2013 Tallahassee Reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix<\/a><\/p>\n

Amid a flurry of moves that has seen several Florida university presidents get replaced in the past year one leader is staying in place.<\/p>\n

The chair of the\u00a0Florida State University\u2019s\u00a0Board of Trustees\u00a0says he\u2019s looking forward to extending President Richard McCullough\u2019s contract.<\/p>\n

With his initial 2021 contract expiring Aug. 31, 2026, Chair Peter Collins told the Phoenix that McCullough, 66, is the \u201cperfect person\u201d for the job.<\/p>\n

\"\"Florida State University President Richard McCullough speaks to reporters at the College of Medicine on July 9, 2025. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester\/Florida Phoenix)<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s doing a great job, there\u2019s no plans on changing that,\u201d Collins said late last month.<\/p>\n

Collins said he plans to take McCullough\u2019s contract extension to the Board of Governors to approve next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t anticipate any problem with that,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n

BOG\u00a0regulations<\/a>\u00a0limit university presidents to one-year contract extensions once their original terms expire.<\/p>\n

FSU<\/a>\u00a0ranked #21 among public universities nationwide by U.S. News & World Report in 2025, keeping close to the top 20, when in 2021 it landed\u00a0at #19<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FSU was the third-highest scoring public institution in the\u00a02025 performance-based funding<\/a>\u00a0metrics.<\/p>\n

Eight of the 12 state universities have concluded or have started a presidential search since June 2024. That figure includes the University of North Florida, which is anticipated to start a presidential search if the BOG votes, to make current UNF President Moez Limayem head of the University of South Florida. Incoming BOG chair Alan Levine said he\u00a0intends to support Limayem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Collins, who was\u00a0unanimously elected chair of the FSU Board of Trustees in August for a two-year term, said he\u00a0doesn\u2019t anticipate FSU becoming the ninth university with a new president.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s going to be no change in leadership prior to the end of his next year. We would extend him now as a board if we could,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n

On the recent controversy around presidential appointments, Collins said, \u201cI have no concern on that at all for Florida State or President McCullough. He\u2019s done a fantastic job, everybody in state government, I think, recognizes that. Certainly the BOG recognizes that. It\u2019s a big job, right?\u201d And he\u2019s the perfect person for it right now. So I don\u2019t anticipate any outside factors or outside influences affecting certainly our decision over the next year and certainly our decision to take him to the BOG for his one-year extension.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCullough, through a university spokesperson, declined to discuss his future at FSU.<\/p>\n

McCullough in August was awarded a pay raise, now putting his salary at $1.25 million. He also was given a positive performance review\u00a0 that included a $567,000 one-time bonus. His initial 2021 contract provided him a $700,000 base salary.<\/p>\n

The president laid out his goals for the year at the Oct. 31 FSU Board of Trustees meeting, which included a focus on national rankings, research and entrepreneurial excellence, as well as athletics and community engagement.<\/p>\n

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