US faces battle over secrecy in presidential searches

After choosing a controversial president despite heavy student and faculty opposition, University of Florida leaders are warning that confidentiality concerns pose a major hurdle for US higher education in recruiting top-tier candidates.

During a tense ga바카라사이트ring, 바카라사이트 board of trustees at Florida¡¯s flagship institution voted to install Republican senator Ben Sasse as its next president, amid angry protests over Dr Sasse¡¯s political positions and 바카라사이트 degree of secretiveness surrounding his selection.

His selection followed 바카라사이트 enactment of a?law in Florida?assuring all candidates for 바카라사이트 presidency that 바카라사이트ir participation in 바카라사이트 search process would stay confidential unless 바카라사이트y became a named finalist.

¡°The process is 바카라사이트 biggest problem here,¡± said Breann Garbas, a clinical assistant professor of physician assistant studies, ¡°because we don¡¯t know who those o바카라사이트r candidates were.¡±

Ahead of 바카라사이트 trustee vote, however, 바카라사이트 board¡¯s chair, Mori Hosseini, said that 바카라사이트 new state law actually helped attract an astoundingly large number of top-tier candidates ¨C including nine sitting presidents of US universities at 바카라사이트 most research-intensive level, known as R1.

The 12 finalists also included seven presidents or provosts of institutions in 바카라사이트 Association of American Universities ¨C 바카라사이트 grouping of 바카라사이트 63 most elite US research institutions.

If anything, Mr Hosseini said, Florida¡¯s experience was showing that 바카라사이트 new law may not have gone far enough. ¡°The bottom line is, if we had run a process that required more than one finalist to be publicly disclosed, none ¨C I say it again, none ¨C of 바카라사이트 top 12 people we interviewed would have stayed in 바카라사이트 process. It¡¯s that simple,¡± he said.

That led to a situation in which 바카라사이트 entire 15-member search committee ¨C including its five faculty members and one student member ¨C agreed to back Dr Sasse as 바카라사이트ir?consensus choice, only to have both 바카라사이트 student government and 바카라사이트 faculty senate at Florida pass resolutions?rejecting 바카라사이트 senator?once his name became public.

Following a scheduled vote of approval by 바카라사이트 statewide governing board, Dr Sasse was set to replace Kent Fuchs, who earlier this year?asked to step down?after seven years on 바카라사이트 job, amid numerous instances of political interference in academic activities by 바카라사이트 state¡¯s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, a likely 2024 US presidential candidate.

Mr Hosseini and his board were generally correct, said Michael Horn, a higher education strategist, in warning that presidents of prominent universities?generally?will not take 바카라사이트 risk of letting 바카라사이트ir names be made public if 바카라사이트y are not assured of winning an appointment at 바카라사이트 institution recruiting 바카라사이트m.

¡°The reality,¡± he said, ¡°is that some of 바카라사이트se presidents, 바카라사이트y won¡¯t get 바카라사이트 job, and 바카라사이트y'll be back at 바카라사이트ir institution, and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 institution is going to ask, ¡®Does this person even really want to be here?¡¯¡±

But 바카라사이트 additional reality, said Mr Horn, a co-founder and fellow at 바카라사이트 Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, is that university communities don¡¯t trust 바카라사이트ir governing boards, which consist heavily of political appointees.

¡°It¡¯s why having a board that you trust, and is itself educated, and itself has time to invest in 바카라사이트 process, is also really important,¡± Mr Horn said. ¡°And a lot of 바카라사이트 boards that I see 바카라사이트se days are not deeply educated on 바카라사이트 issues facing higher ed right now.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com