FSU Presidential hire news

FSU prepares to rule on Thrasher

"Burr, a Jacksonville businessman who is friends with Thrasher, chairs the search committee. He was convinced that Funk was giving the 27-member committee sound advice. He was also pointing out the obvious, Burr said.
“We didn’t anticipate the impact (John’s presence) would have,” Burr said. “Maybe we should have.”
Former FSU President T.K. Wetherell is both friends with Thrasher and a veteran observer of university searches in the Sunshine State. FSU was never going to be able to conduct a true search without first dealing with Thrasher, Wetherell said.
“Here’s the problem they’ve got. (University of) Florida’s been looking for a president for two years and they can’t get anybody to apply,” Wetherell said. “FSU has Garnett (Stokes) as acting and John as a potential candidate. If you are a likely candidate, you’ve got to think they’re not going to apply.
“The board needs to make a decision on Garnett and John. If they want to hire one of them, hire ’em,” he added. “The board has to make some of the dominos start falling, one way or the other. The first two dominos are Thrasher and Garnett.”

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Controversial decision
Not all oars were rowing together Wednesday when the search committee decided to make Thrasher the sole candidate — at least for now. The seven students and professors on the search committee, joined by the one dean (Marcy Driscoll from the College of Education) and the Board of Governors’ representative (Ed Morton) all voted against a June 11 interview with Thrasher and all that it entails, making it a 15-9 decision. Members of the audience who addressed the search committee during a hastily called public comment period all voiced strong opposition to a possible Thrasher presidency.
Some referred to his controversial attempt to split the joint FAMU-FSU College of Engineering last month, without any input from faculty or students.
Before the gavel had sounded on Wednesday’s two-hour meeting, associate communication professor Jennifer Proffitt, president of the faculty union, had issued a statement saying FSU’s chapter of United Faculty of Florida had “lost confidence” in the presidential search process.
“As this process began, there were numerous accounts in the media indicating that this search was merely for appearances’ sake and that FSU’s new president had already been selected behind closed doors. We trusted the rebuttals of those involved with the search, we believed the assertions that the search would be open, fair, and include faculty input, and we operated accordingly, providing input at any opportunity we had,” the statement said. “We now believe that there is ample evidence indicating that this process is not being conducted fairly, is not open and transparent, and is ignoring the needs of the faculty, students and taxpayers.”
The faculty and students are upset — or in some cases, downright angry — in part because the search began with FSU’s trustees in unison saying they wanted to continue on the course set by Barron, one focused on elevating FSU’s academic status while completing the university’s first $1 billion capital campaign.
At its April meeting, the search committee established a list of criteria for its next president heavily focused on academics and leadership.
Thrasher, despite his unquestioned passion for FSU, where he earned baccalaureate and law degrees, has never worked in higher education."

Thrasher candidacy has chased away others in FSU president search, presidential search adviser says

"A controversial search for a new Florida State University president took a heated turn Wednesday when the committee decided to stop looking while it interviews Sen. John Thrasher, a political favorite for the job.

The hunt for the university’s next leader has pitted business-minded committee members, who consider Thrasher an influential fundraiser, against faculty and students who prefer a president more familiar with academia.

The committee’s 15-9 vote allows it to suspend the search until it interviews Thrasher, a Republican from St. Augustine, and decides if he’s best for the job. Thrasher is the first, and so far only, serious candidate.
A consultant told the committee that the university was having trouble attracting qualified candidates due to the perception that Thrasher was going to get the job.
Thrasher, an FSU alumnus and a vocal supporter of funding for FSU within the state legislature, began expressing interest in the presidency soon after former president Eric Barron left in April to become Penn State University’s president.
“We could run this process for 60 or 90 days and end up with Sen. Thrasher and some unqualified candidates, and we felt that wouldn’t be an adequate search for this university,” said Ed Burr, chairman of the search committee and a member of FSU’s Board of Trustees.
Jennifer Proffitt, president of the FSU teacher’s union, said faculty felt the committee was skirting its purpose by selecting a finalist before any formal nominations were made.
“We’re very disappointed that the process wasn’t the open, transparent and fair process that was promised,” she said. “To only look at one candidate and vote up or down, it seems like a done deal, and I hope that it’s not.”
FSU Faculty Senate President Gary Tyson said he’s also concerned, noting Thrasher hasn’t officially applied for the job yet and that the process is moving forward despite dissenting votes from the students and faculty on the committee.
Thrasher told the Times-Union Wednesday he considers the interview to be another step in the process. He said he is keeping his options open and said he still plans to qualify next month to run for re-election.
“My goal is that I want what’s best for Florida State University,” he said. “I am honored and humbled to be asked to be interviewed.”
Thrasher said he believes people on the search committee who know him voted in favor of interviewing him for the job and those who don’t know him — students and faculty — voted against it.
“I think it’s partly an issue of getting to know me,” he said.
Proffitt said faculty are concerned about Thrasher’s lack of experience within higher education administration and might be wary of him since he pushed for a state bill to eliminate tenure for new public school teachers in favor of a merit-based system. She said faculty have also stated they’re worried Thrasher’s political influence will permeate into the university.
“Do we want this to be a university or a political extension of the Capitol?” she said."

 

Rep. Rehwinkel Vasilinda Enters FSU Presidential Race

"Florida Senator John Thrasher is now officially a candidate for the president's job at Florida State University. But, faculty and students don't agree with how it came about.
Cliff Madsen, an FSU faculty member and member of the FSU Presidential Search Advisory Committee, says, "John Thrasher has done a great deal for this institution. I don't think that there's any question at all that he loves this institution."
Other FSU faculty say that don't doubt Madsen's statement, but, say loyalty is not on the presidency criteria list.
During Wednesday's Presidential Search Committee meeting, faculty and students said it's not fair that Florida Senator John Thrasher's name had been rumored to be FSU's next leader when he hasn't submitted his resume or applied for the job.
"But, he did, through the back door, through the press, through rounding up letters of application that preceded his application. He's hijacked this process and I think the committee needs to stand up to that."
The committee voted Wednesday to have Thrasher turn in paperwork to allow him to move forward with on-campus interviews an go through the vetting and interview process as 'normal.'
Faculty member, Michael Bakan, says the due process is not accounted for. He says, "The chair of the committee, the consultants have decided that we are bringing in this candidate and not speaking for or against the candidate, but, that candidate should not be invited for an interview unless the search committee recommends that that be done and that has not happened. That is tremendously frustrating."
Faculty member and committee member, Jill Quadagno, says, "I don't know that he's the only viable candidate in the pool because of the lack of information."
The president of the search firm, Bill Funk, told the committee that it has been difficult to find qualified candidates. He says leaders have been reluctant to apply because of Thrasher's name floating around. Funk says potential applicants are concerned that the process would not be a leveled playing field because of Thrasher's prominence.
Faculty member Eric Walker had a solution to that problem. During the meeting he said, "Shut this thing down right now."
When asked what did he mean, he said, "To make a strong recommendation of Senator Thrasher that he take himself out of the mix -- as a service to the university."
The committee originally planned to not allow the public to speak at Wednesday's meeting. However, members ended up voting to add public comment to the agenda.
Several faculty members and students spoke out against Thrasher and the process by which the committee is allowing him to be a candidate. Students with groups such as Dream Defenders and Students for a Democratic Society, say they do not want Senator Thrasher to be FSU's next president, partly because of his attempts to split the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering."


Our Opinion: Thrasher’s candidacy

"If you go to Florida State University’s online job site, you won’t find “university president” listed. It’s not a 9-to-5 job. Indeed, it would be hard to list what the job requires.
So it is far from clear at this point whether John Thrasher would make a good president at FSU.
But in deciding to make Mr. Thrasher the only candidate it plans to interview at its next meeting, the search committee in charge of seeking the next president has made several things clear:
• The kind of person that universities seek as president is changing.
• The opinions of students and faculty are not high on the list of concerns.
• Politics rule.
John Thrasher, 70, an attorney, is a member of the Florida Senate who also was speaker of the Florida House. He helped lead George W. Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004, was chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and is now co-chair of Gov. Rick Scott’s re-election campaign. To put it mildly, he’s a politician.
He also has been a champion of FSU in the Legislature, steering millions to his alma mater. He has been chairman of the FSU Board of Trustees, and the building housing FSU’s medical school bears his name.
Less than a month after then-FSU President Eric Barron announced he was leaving for Penn State, the rumor mill at the Capitol gave Mr. Thrasher the inside track to replace him. Mr. Thrasher didn’t exactly deny his interest. And when former FSU President Sandy D’Alemberte penned a three-page letter last week recommending Mr. Thrasher, opponents howled.
It’s worth looking at the evolution of FSU presidents since 1960.
Gordon Blackwell was a college chancellor before coming to FSU, and he left to become president at Furman University. John Champion was a professor who worked his way up to dean, vice president of administration and, finally, president. Stanley Marshall was a physics professor, and at FSU he created programs to educate secondary-school science teachers. Bernie Sliger was an economist. Dale Lick had been a professor or administrator for 40 years.
That changed in 1993, when Mr. D’Alemberte was appointed. He was a noted lawyer and had been president of the American Bar Association. He served in the Florida House. He was dean of FSU’s law school for five years, but clearly this was a president whose strength was political rather than academic.
FSU’s next president was T.K. Wetherell, a former speaker of the Florida House. He held an education degree and had been president of Tallahassee Community College, but again, his strength was in snaring money in the legislative process.
Eric Barron is held up as an academic’s academic by faculty appalled by the idea of Mr. Thrasher as president. But before he came to FSU, Mr. Barron was director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which draws almost all of its funding from government. So he was no babe in the political woods.
Political heft has served presidents of other Florida universities well, including Miami’s Donna Shalala (secretary of Health and Human Services in the Clinton administration), Florida Atlantic’s Frank Brogan (who was lieutenant governor and now is chancellor of Pennsylvania’s state universities), Betty Castor (a legislator who became president of the University of South Florida) and the University of North Florida’s John Delaney (who was mayor of Jacksonville).
Of course, measured against Mr. Barron, almost any candidate suffers. He had a quiet start at FSU (his first speech at the annual Chamber of Commerce retreat is remembered well by those who managed to stay awake), but by the time he left, he had developed a clear, exciting vision for his pre-eminent university and for this community. It was the perfect blend: He could raise money, he knew what academic success looked like, and he had the contacts to make things happen.
Surely, there are problems with Mr. Thrasher’s candidacy — besides the fact the he became the sole candidate before he even applied for the job. He has zero academic experience. He is bound to have problems dealing with Florida A&M, after introducing the idea of splitting the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The strong opposition expressed so far by faculty and students are a distraction and could hurt FSU — and, by extension, this community.
On the plus side, Mr. Thrasher is a proven supporter of FSU. He would command the respect of the trustees and others in power. And to be honest, when it comes to getting a budget request through the Legislature, logic and reason don’t always rule.
It’s a new era in higher education. There is no reason to reject Mr. Thrasher out of hand. But there is good reason to worry about how much political influence will shape the final decision FSU’s trustees make."

Gerald Ensley: Thrasher isn't president yet

"Oh, I get that presidencies of universities are important positions. I get that selecting them ought to be an open process. And I get that all those who work for FSU, attended FSU or ever watched an FSU football game feel they have a personal stake in the selection of its next president.
But I'm willing to believe the fix is not in for Thrasher. I believe all the opposing parties will get their chance to be heard. I believe Thrasher won't be considered unless a majority of the selection committee — composed entirely of people who care about FSU — endorse him. I believe, even if he's considered, other candidates will be heard.
Call me naive."

This is insanely naïve.

"One critic said Thrasher hijacked the selection process — and he certainly did. By introducing a controversial bill to separate the FAMU-FSU engineering school, he advertised himself for FSU president, figuratively saying: "If FSU wants somebody who gets things done, that's me." You can call it arrogance or you can call it astute gamesmanship."

He FAILED at 'getting this done.'  How is he getting credit for something he failed at and pissed off a lot of people who will take it out on FSU?  Insanity.

Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda applies for FSU presidency

"Rehwinkel Vasilinda, a Democratic representative for Tallahassee in the state legislature, said Friday that she believes herself to be a better candidate for the position than Thrasher.

“I don’t think the committee had the appropriate choices, so I decided to put myself up against John Thrasher,” she said. “He’s a lawyer and I’m a lawyer; he’s a legislator and I’m also a legislator. But I have experience working in higher education.”


Bill Proctor: Consider Thrasher’s impact on FAMU

"Speaking for my constituents in Leon County, we are alarmed, stunned and aghast that state Sen. John Thrasher looms as Florida State University’s president-in-waiting. Sen. Thrasher disrespects and has demonstrated ill will toward current and future Florida A&M University students. His name generates ill will across many pockets.
There could be no more divisive and polarizing figure than this former chairman of Florida’s Republican Party to become FSU’s president. Has the FSU presidency become a Lotto grab available to the highest political bidder under the province of Florida’s Republican Party? Speaking for my constituents, we believe the Florida State University Board of Trustees should distance this university from a red-hot political polarizer and the domain of a conservative political party.
Thrasher is a loud and proud Republican whose politics, attitudes and actions make his name more explosive than a Fourth of July fireworks show. Having Thrasher as the president of Florida State will serve to further the distance between FSU and the black community, which does not have a favorable view of him.
I urge each Board of Trustees member to review the recent dialogue on the floor of the Florida Senate, the day when Sen. Thrasher proposed to separate the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and to provide millions of dollars to Florida State and zero dollars to Florida A&M to sustain the continuing existence for its College of Engineering. Thrasher is perceived to be a mean man. He has publicly vowed to separate FAMU’s engineering school even without listening to or hearing from the voices of higher educational leaders or holding necessary and formal legislative hearings. Moreover, he vows to separate the engineering school over the objections of the FAMU Board of Trustees and university.
Not only is Thrasher co-chair of the campaign for the re-election of Gov. Rick Scott, but he is a leading Republican whose conservative politics will ignite a combustible, explosive and polarizing impact for students at Florida State and for other stakeholders across Leon County. What was his vote on tuition increases for university students? His record demonstrates that he has been hostile against students who are disadvantaged. Why would Florida State hire a politician whose record opposes students’ access and success within higher education in Florida?
The trustees should note the acidic and inflammatory politics of this senator. He is viewed as a heavy-handed political bully. A decision to hire Thrasher will have a counterproductive impact with numerous citizens and students.
Clearly, if the trustees review the questions coming from Sens. Dwight Bullard and Arthenia Joyner on the Senate floor, they will note Sen. Thrasher’s indifference to the future of FAMU and FAMU’s College of Engineering. In view of his political positions, there are three questions my constituents desire trustees to answer:
• Where does the FSU Board of Trustees stand regarding future relations with the Florida A&M University and its efforts to educate our state’s many disadvantaged students?
• More importantly, why would you seek out to hire the trigger-man who sought to destroy FAMU College of Engineering and to erase more than 200 students’ futures in the STEM fields?
• Out of all of the possible people to lead Florida State, why is this board rewarding John Thrasher with the leadership post when he has unilaterally sought to harm FAMU?
The FSU Board of Trustees would send a strong message in choosing this particular politician to rule Florida State. He is perceived as a clear and present danger to Florida A&M University.
Sen. Thrasher’s abrasive and arrogant style are widely known. However, it is his more widely known conservative politics that cause many to hold negative views of him. The board should clarify publicly the direction that Florida State is heading in its imminent decision to hire Thrasher.
The Board of Trustees has an opportunity to build upon the legacy of Eric Barron, whose leadership style and approach to stakeholders of our community were respected. The choice of John Thrasher does not build on this legacy. Instead, this choice would sink Florida State University into an era of backwardness, good ol’ boyness and lost respect as a meaningful center of higher education.
My constituents have urged me to convey to the FSU Board of Trustees their sentiments and desire that they do not select John Thrasher as president of Florida State University."

Proctor is wrong on basically everything except that Thrasher should not be the next FSU president.