South Florida State College relaunches search for new president
AVONPARK, Fla. - South Florida State College in Avon Park relaunched its search for a new president Wednesday after the three previous finalists abruptly withdrew their names from consideration. It prompted some to wonder whether Governor Ron DeSantis is now involved.
The college's Board of Trustees is now accepting new applicants for the position and wants to have a selection made by Jun 7.
"We had three really good candidates, and so I'm expecting a superstar. I don't know who that is, but that's what I'm expecting," Trustee Joe Wright told FOX 13 following the board's meeting.
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South Florida State's current president is retiring next month. The board had narrowed down its search to three finalists. However, all three had withdrawn their names from the selection process.
Michele Roberts, a former dean at the college who worked there for 16 years, said her close ties to the school gave her some insight into what happened. She said Gov. DeSantis stepped in.
"When this happened to my college, I couldn't bear it," Roberts said. "When I saw that Governor DeSantis had reached his bully arm down into our community, I was just literally shocked."
Roberts believes the governor has his own candidate in mind. Members of the Board of Trustees wouldn't directly say whether that's true.
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"I have not heard anything to that effect," said Dr. Louis Kirschner.
"I have not spoken with Governor DeSantis on this," said White, who also hinted that something did happen behind the scenes. "There's politics and everything, and there's politics involved in this, and that's really all I'm going to say about it."
The governor has not responded to a request for comment. Neither have the former finalists. The board's chair said they stepped aside for "personal reasons."
The South Florida State College in Avon Park campus
The board, meanwhile, also adjusts its requirements for future candidates.
"We are not requiring an applicant to have a doctorate," Kirschner said.
When asked whether the requirements were changed because there's already someone in mind for the job, Kirschner responded, "I don't know. But probably, because we can attract a broader range of applicants."
If DeSantis is involved in the search for a leader of a small college, it wouldn't be the first time.
His hand-picked board members at New College of Florida in Sarasota led the charge to replace the college's president with Richard Corcoran, a DeSantis ally and the former Florida Commissioner of Education.
If something similar happens at South Florida State, Roberts worries about how that person would be viewed.
"He would be despised by the faculty for interrupting and bulldozing through the process," she said.
The Board of Trustees will meet for its next special-called meeting on May 10 to consider applicants. Finalists will visit the college on May 30 and interview with the board on May 31.
The plan is to have a new president chosen on June 7 and ready to take over the office by July 3.