Stuart Bell One More Vote Away From UF Presidency

Former University of Alabama President Dr. Stuart Bell is one vote away from becoming the next leader of the University of Florida. The UF Board of Trustees unanimously approved Bell's appointment after interviews and a final vote. Now all that is left is confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors.

Bell has received the backing of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and a number of UF movers and shakers. However. the Board of Governors did reject the selection of former University of Michigan President Santa Ono to be UF president last summer. Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and other conservatives opposed Ono's nomination.

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Scott has again voiced concern over the secrecy surrounding the selection process and has said the school may have narrowed its choice to Bell too quickly. He also questioned Bell’s past support for DEI, which has been a major sticking point during the selection process.

The school's board has defended the search process criticized by Scott. Trustees say it followed Florida law with a confidential selection phase followed by public forums and interviews.

Bell has many students and former students on his side. Many have voiced overwhelming support for Bell, including the Student Body Vice President Donovan Francois, who pointed to Bell’s emphasis on academic excellence and respect for their education. Former Student Body President Blake Cox told trustees student voices matter and said Bell, “checked every box” and would be “the perfect candidate.”

Bell was interviewed by the UF Board of Trustees for hours before the final vote selected him. During the questioning Bell sought to calm conservative concerns. “I am not coming to Florida to bring DEI or any type of ‘woke’ back,” he told the meeting. Instead, he said he wants to build an institution based on merit, hard work and accountability.

Bell also said his experience at UA has prepared him to address key issues raised by board members during the interview, including rising antisemitism, campus safety, the management of more than $1 billion in capital projects and increasing fundraising efforts as the state’s education budget shrinks.

Bell will learn if he has past the last hurdle when the Board of Governors meets on June 24th.