With the UF Board of Trustees’ unanimous approval of finalist Stuart Bell on Wednesday, UF took one step further in its presidential approval process for the candidate.
The vote pushes Bell to the final stage of the process: getting approval from the Florida Board of Governors. The board rejected Santa Ono less than a year ago, in part due to his record with diversity, equity and inclusion.
During Wednesday’s two-hour meeting, the Board of Trustees asked Bell a series of questions regarding DEI, athletics and fundraising, while defending several criticisms of the selection.
Board Chair Mori Hosseini delivered a passionate message to detractors of Bell.
“Put politics aside, the people out there,” Hosseini said. “It is not about personal vendetta. This board is not going to give in. We’re going to do the right thing.”
Even before the vote, Hosseini said the board was going to stand behind Bell, who was unanimously chosen by its 15-person search committee.
This comes as UF and Bell have come under fire from several prominent figures for the presence of DEI programs at both UF and the University of Alabama, where Bell previously served as president.
Linda McMahon, the U.S. secretary of education, publicly pushed UF to fight DEI programs, which she described as “discriminatory by design.” UF responded on its official X account and said Bell will stand behind McMahon if selected and push back against DEI.
Hosseini addressed UF’s past usage of DEI directly. While the university used it in 2020, he said, it was limited to a short period and was quickly dealt with.
“What should we do, go kill everybody on the Board of Governors?” Hosseini said. “We had George Floyd — everybody was hot; everybody wants to do something.”
After Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed back on the 2020 DEI measures, Hosseini said, the university realized it wasn’t doing what it was intended to do and began making changes.
Concerns over DEI weren’t limited to UF. Some individuals have expressed concern with Bell’s handling of DEI limitations at Alabama.
Some advocacy groups pushed back on the selection leading up to Wednesday’s meeting. Accuracy in Media, a media watchdog group, released video investigations into how well Alabama complied with federal mandates to limit DEI.
Bell, who has faced criticism for DEI programs at Alabama, said that for decades, nearly every public institution had DEI programs.
The vision changed over time, he added, moving away from what DEI was originally intended for and away from merit-based systems.
Once he saw how laws and the perception of DEI changed across the country, Bell said, the University of Alabama eliminated its DEI initiatives following a “top to bottom” review. Bell said an Alabama legislator who sponsored the laws changing DEI programs assured him the university’s efforts were sufficient.
“Let me be clear,” Bell said. “I am not coming to Florida to bring DEI or ‘woke’ back, period.”
Keith Perry, a recently appointed Florida Board of Governors member, said at the meeting that Bell has his full support after a one-on-one meeting between the two.
“His résumé is pretty remarkable,” Perry said. “I looked at what he did personally, professionally, academically, administratively. I want to tell you I think we have a good choice.”
Perry’s endorsement signals support from at least one member of the Board of Governors, but he said he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the board.
Bell also received an endorsement from DeSantis through a post on his X account.
In addition to answering questions about DEI, Bell also addressed questions about UF’s athletics programs, research funding and UF’s place in the academic landscape.
Bell said his experiences at Alabama and working with the SEC make him the most qualified presidential candidate in the country to navigate the future of an ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics.
Still, his priority remains on his “north star,” he said: making Florida a top three public university.
While his time at Alabama didn’t see much improvement in rankings, Bell said Alabama grew in other ways. He oversaw the creation or renovation of 86 capital projects — like athletics facilities and research buildings — while serving as the president at Alabama, he added.
Alabama also became an R1 university during that time, Bell said, which is the highest classification given to doctoral universities in the United States. It identifies significant research activity.
Following the Board of Trustees’ unanimous approval, UF will begin negotiating an employment agreement with Bell and prepare to face the Florida Board of Governors for confirmation.
The board will meet June 24, and Bell’s formal ratification hinges on a June 25 vote.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @logandmcbride.
Logan McBride is a fourth-year journalism student and this summer's general assignment reporter. He previously served as a reporter for the city/county commission, K-12 education and track & field. Logan enjoys watching sports, going to the movies and playing basketball. When he's not working, you can find him on adventures with his friends, cuddling with his cat Max, or with his girlfriend.
