Florida Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine said Thursday that concerns over the University of Florida’s (UF) governance policies could delay consideration of Dr. Stuart Bell’s nomination as UF president.
In a letter to Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, Levine said a review of Bell’s nomination raised concerns about language in interim UF President Don Landry’s contract. The contract, Levine wrote, gave UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini broad authority over hiring and compensation decisions, including personnel below the president’s office.
Levine said that arrangement appeared to conflict with Board of Governors rules, which limit the powers of trustees and require university boards to act collectively. He said personnel, financial, contractual and procurement decisions cannot be handed to a single trustee, including a board chair.
Hosseini agreed to remove the disputed language from future contracts, Levine said. But a broader review found that UF’s governance policies may still give the chair significant authority in other areas, including financial and contractual matters.
“With respect to UF, while chair Hosseini agreed to remove the offending language from the president’s contract, I learned through this review that elements of this language, and significant other delegations of authority, have been granted to the UF board chair which involve financial, contractual and other delegations that I feel are problematic, inconsistent with best practices in governance and which again seem to run afoul of our regulation,” wrote Levine. “The fact the offending language will likely be removed from the president’s contract is rendered meaningless if the university’s governance standards, which are a policy of the board of trustees, remain out of compliance.”
Levine said he will not approve agenda items for any university whose board is out of compliance. That could delay Board of Governors consideration of Bell’s nomination, Florida Gulf Coast University President Aysegul Timur’s reappointment and at least one UF facilities request. Levine said the move should not be viewed as a judgment on Bell or Timur.
In response, Rahul Patel, Chair of UF’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee and Vice Chair of the UF Board of Trustees said, “Let’s be clear. By Chairman Levine’s own admission, this delay has nothing to do with Dr. Bell. A unanimously selected presidential candidate and the State of Florida’s flagship university are being drawn into a dispute unrelated to his candidacy. That is unfair to Dr. Bell and harmful to the University of Florida and the students, faculty, alumni, and supporters we are entrusted to serve.”
He added, “Equally concerning is that a decision of this magnitude has been made unilaterally rather than by the full Board of Governors. Delaying consideration of the unanimously approved president designate of Florida’s flagship university is a consequential action that should be decided by the Board of Governors as a body, not by a single individual acting alone. The University of Florida cannot afford to remain in limbo while these matters are addressed. Accordingly, within the coming week, the Board of Trustees will meet to consider naming Dr. Bell Interim President so that the university can continue moving forward while this issue is addressed.”
