Dr. Stuart Bell To Become Interim UF President Amid Controversy
Dr. Stuart Bell has been named Interim President of the University of Florida tonight. The vote by the Florida Board of Trustees was unanimous and an attempt to get around an ongoing dispute with the Florida Board of Governors, who have the final say on such appointments.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, congratulated Bell in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “Congrats to Dr. Stuart Bell on being selected by the University of Florida to be the next university president,” DeSantis wrote. "Dr. Bell did much to elevate the University of Alabama when he was the president in Tuscaloosa and I have no doubt that he will help UF reach new heights.”
Final approval of former UA president Stuart Bell as the next permanent president of the University of Florida was never a done deal. Not in the political climate in Florida. The Board of Governors had already tuned down the appointment of former University of Michigan President Santa Ono by the UF Board of Trustees.
When the school's trustees made the similar selection of Bell to lead the Gainesville school of more than 62,000 full and part-time students, the nomination was already getting pushback from some powerful conservative Florida political and media leaders.
Adam Guillette, president of the nonprofit organization Accuracy in Media, wrote in a posting on X, that his organization had come to Tuscaloosa to investigate Bell. He claims Bell continued to support DEI after the Alabama Legislature outlawed it. "We have seen exactly what he did when he ran the University of Alabama. He was a champion for DEI and then he became a champion for deception," Guillette said. "We hope he hasn't used successful deception to confuse and trick both our governor and our Board of Trustees and our Board of Regents."
The Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine postponed the planned confirmation vote for Bell after raising concerns about governance practices at UF. Florida U.S. Senator Rick Scott has previously voiced concerns over Bell's support for Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DEI) when he headed the University of Alabama. Scott also raised issues with the secrecy surrounding Bell's selection.
The Trustees cited state law and said the Florida Attorney General had already ruled the school had not violated governance policies,
After the Board of Governors delayed its vote of Bell's candidacy various UF Trustees raised concerns over how uncertainty over Bell could undermine the university and affect major projects.
Although a date for the Board of Governor's vote has not been scheduled, trustees are asking for one to be scheduled soon.
Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine has issued statement agreeing to the trustee's request.
"I have directed the corporate secretary of the Board of Governors to schedule a special meeting, as soon as legally possible, for the Board to consider the nomination of Dr. Stuart Bell as President of the University of Florida..."
Bell will become UF Interim President on July 1st.
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