The UF community will have its first opportunity to hear directly from presidential finalist Stuart R. Bell during a series of forums on Wednesday as the university enters the final stages of selecting its next president.
Students, faculty and staff had the opportunity to submit their questions for Bell online before the forums, and members of the UF community and the public are invited to attend.
Three forums are scheduled throughout the afternoon at Emerson Alumni Hall: a student forum at 1 p.m., a faculty forum at 2:15 p.m. and a staff and administrator Forum at 3:30 p.m.
Bell was unanimously recommended by the UF Presidential Search Advisory Committee May 18 as the sole finalist to become UF’s 14th president.
His campus visit comes nearly one year after the Florida Board of Governors rejected UF’s previous presidential candidate, Santa Ono, prompting the university to restart its search. Ono introduced himself in a similar series of on-campus forums in May 2025 before the Board of Governors voted against his presidential candidacy.
Most recently, Bell served as the president of the University of Alabama from 2015 to 2025. Prior to his presidential term, he was a provost and engineering professor at Louisiana State University. Before that, he worked at the University of Kansas as a mechanical engineering professor and dean of the school of engineering.
He also worked with the Southeastern Conference as a member of the executive committee and, at one point, its president.
UF officials have highlighted Bell’s experience with leading a large public flagship university, focusing on his ability to increase national rankings, academic standards, student enrollment and graduation rates.
According to a UF press release, Bell helped the University of Alabama advance its athletics, modernize campus facilities and achieve R1 research status.
Bell’s recommendation has since stirred online controversy due to his DEI work at the University of Alabama. Critics are concerned Bell’s stance on DEI is too similar to Ono’s and misaligned with UF’s institutional neutrality policy.
Some have also alleged a lack of transparency in the candidate search process. In a post on X, UF said the search process requires a confidential preliminary search before moving to a more public secondary phase, which includes Wednesday’s forums.
If selected, Bell would succeed former UF President Ben Sasse, who resigned in July 2024. Since Sasse’s departure, former UF President Kent Fuchs and Donald Landry have served as the university’s interim presidents.
After his campus visit, the UF Board of Trustees is scheduled to interview Bell June 10. If trustees approve his candidacy, his appointment must then be confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors.
Contact Hailey Kon at hkon@alligator.org.
Hailey Kon is a fourth-year public relations and psychology double major serving as this summer's student government reporter. This is her first semester on staff at The Alligator, though she previously worked as a contributing writer for The Alligator and The Gainesville Sun. When she's not on campus, she can be found in the Dutch Bros drive-thru or a Ticketmaster queue trying to buy concert tickets.
