The University of Florida Board of Trustees had its say Monday in the wake of attacks on Board Chair Mori Hosseini from the State University System Board of Governors.
It also affirmed its choice of Stuart Bell as an interim presidential pick at a $2 million salary, with a $500,000 termination fee should he be released from his contract. If he completes his term as interim president by the end of June and is not hired permanently, he is owed 20 weeks of base salary, which comes out to nearly $770,000.
Why interim?
Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine has delayed confirmation of Bell, alleging Hosseini has undue influence and “sweeping authority” over the hiring process, leading to the board’s decision to put their preferred candidate in the interim role and deferring the action item indefinitely.
During the meeting, Hosseini said he did “nothing wrong.”
“No one can buy Mori Hosseini,” he said. “Not today. Not yesterday. Not when I was a poor man. Never.”
Hosseini said critics got on “social media” with a “bunch of nonsense,” questioning if some got paid to push falsehoods.
Vice Chair Rahul Patel also dismissed a call for an investigation from Levine of Hosseini’s real estate findings.
He said saying that Gray Robinson, at the UF Trustees’ request, said that no member of the BOG has the right to spuriously call for an Inspector General investigation of that type and doing so would violate BOG standards and rules.
Board member Fred Ridley asserted that anonymous allegations lack credibility to merit an official probe.
He asserted the allegations of wrongdoing, lobbied in an anonymous letter, were an attempt to stymie the search process.
Levine offered a statement ahead of the meeting addressing one area of agreement, regarding governance review.
“After productive discussions between the BOG and UF, the University of Florida Board of Trustees agreed it would be appropriate for a third-party expert in University governance to be engaged to review the governance documents of all universities in the System, all delegated authorities and BOG policies. This expert will recommend best practices. The leadership of the UF Board of Trustees stated unequivocally it will comply with any BOG regulations on governance standards that are enacted. I agree with this approach. Ultimately, our mutual goal should be to be an example of best practice in university governance. Similarly, I will encourage the Board of Governors to adopt any beneficial policy changes that enhance our ability to ensure Florida’s universities are an example of best practices.”
Why now?
Bell is the university’s third interim President in a row since Ben Sasse was the last permanent job holder. He joins Kent Fuchs (2024–2025) and Donald W. Landry (2025–present).
Hosseini said the board stands behind Bell as a permanent President, and said timing was of the essence, since Landry is back to Columbia University July 1.
Bell is the second full-time candidate to elicit scrutiny on ideological grounds, with his commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion when he was President of the University of Alabama drawing attention.
The candidacy of Santa Ono was rejected last year by the State University System Board of Governors amid concerns about his commitment to DEI during presidencies at other institutions, in a move that seemed like a rebuke of Hosseini.
That set the stage for another rocky process this summer.
Conservative conflict
The Bell controversy has been a flashpoint on the right.
U.S. Senator Rick Scott and Christopher Rufo, who previously served on the New College Board of Trustees, have raised concerns about Bell and Hosseini respectively.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, and a number of key staffers including Alex Lanfranconi and Jeremy Redfern, have taken the opposite view, despite their very public stances against DEI in the past.
Relationships between DeSantis’ orbit and Hosseini are documented.
Hosseini has played a key role in supporting Governor DeSantis since the 2018 campaign, including advocating for a $92 million highway interchange that benefited his company, ICI Homes. The relationship has been mutually beneficial, with DeSantis reportedly accepting private flights and access to a golf simulator from Hosseini.
Uthmeier, who was previously chief of staff for DeSantis before being appointed to fill the AG job last year, secured a six-figure adjunct teaching job at UF’s Law School soon after taking his current role.
