FSU president search sparks student outcry
"A group of students and faculty at Florida State University (FSU) is protesting the university’s current presidential search, calling it “illegitimate.”
FSU’s unexpected search for a new president began after it was revealed in February that then-president Eric Barron would be leaving for the Pennsylvania State University in April.
Since May, students and faculty have been gathering to voice their concerns about the presidential search and selection process, citing specific grievances with the Presidential Search Advisory Committee (PSAC).
“Our involvement began on May 21st literally during the PSAC meeting,” doctoral candidates Lakey and Ralph Wilson, who co-run the “Reset the Presidential Search at FSU” Facebook page said via e-mail. “Students, faculty, alumni and community members in Tallahassee were motivated to act fast after seeing the total disregard for process, democracy, transparency and the integrity of FSU’s PSAC at the time.”
Some observers feel that state Sen. John Thrasher (R-St. Augustine) has been de facto front-runner essentially from the search’s inception.
“On May 21 … (the PSAC) passed a motion to fast-track Florida state Senator John Thrasher as the sole candidate for consideration without so much as an application,” Lakey and Wilson say. “Thrasher has no real academic credentials, is anti-tenure, is a two-time ethics violator while serving in the Florida House of Representatives, is currently serving as Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s reelection campaign chair and was named American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Legislator of the Year in 1998.”
On June 4, FSU’s Faculty Senate voted ‘no confidence’ in R. William Funk, whose firm William Funk and Associates was hired by the Board of Trustees to conduct the search. The Faculty Senate accused Funk of unfairly favoring Thrasher. Funk announced on June 9 that his firm would depart the search process.
On Sept. 5, despite pushback from students and faculty, Thrasher was one of 11 semifinalists selected for on-campus interviews. Student and faculty representatives on the search committee unanimously backed a motion to remove Thrasher from consideration, but were overruled by a majority that Lakey and Wilson say is dominated by “corporate/political interests.” The meeting was suspended for nearly an hour when students began chanting in protest.
“While (Thrasher) is a brilliant man and has experience in his own field, if the students and faculty keep voting against keeping him in the pool, only to be silenced by the overwhelming majority of corporate and political leaders on the committee, then I think it would be silly to … accept (him),” FSU senior Jake Jarczynski says.
PSAC chairman Edward Burr says he is confident in the current search process.
“I feel confident that our open process will yield a leader who will have the attributes that we are seeking,” Burr said in an e-mail through the Office of University Communications.
Students have also voiced their concerns over the search process’ perceived lack of transparency.
FSU students rally after being removed from a PSAC meeting by security. (Photo courtesy of Lakey.)
“I feel as though (the search process) is not as transparent as it should be,” senior Aryn Eldridge says. “There have been a few students advocating on campus to get other students involved in the search, but if it wasn’t for them passing out fliers, I wouldn’t have even known that students are able to take an active role in the search. I wish more of an effort was being made on the search committee’s part to involve the students.”
Eldridge also echoes other students’ concerns that corporate interests dominate the search process.
“From the little bits that I have heard about the search, the committees have blatantly ignored the opinions of faculty and students and seem to be catering to other individuals who do not work (at) or attend this school,” Eldridge says.
Protesters say that the makeup of the PSAC must be “reset” to better reflect the interests of students and faculty. UFF-FSU started a MoveOn.org petition, which Proffitt says gained more than 1,400 signatures in less than two weeks, requesting a “reset” of the search process.
Despite the concerns surrounding the search process, some students say they are optimistic for the future.
“I am much more optimistic about the search now that Provost Garnett Stokes, the interim president, is officially a candidate for the presidency,” senior Jasmine Edwards says. “Before this news came out last week, it seemed like the search was largely a game of politics.”
Jennifer Proffitt, president of United Faculty of Florida-Florida State University (UFF-FSU), says she feels the current search is tainted and has harmed FSU’s reputation.
“Unfortunately, the appearance of political cronyism is affecting the search and the reputation of the university, and I hope that the search committee and the Board of Trustees will, in the end, make their decisions based on qualifications, not political or personal or financial interests,” Proffitt said via e-mail.
The search committee is due to submit its decision to the Board of Trustees by Sept. 22 for ratification."
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