Florida Delays Stuart Bell Vote, UF Moves to Install Him as $2 Million Interim President
Updated
Updated · Inside Higher Ed · Jun 23
Florida Delays Stuart Bell Vote, UF Moves to Install Him as $2 Million Interim President
3 articles · Updated · Inside Higher Ed · Jun 23
Summary
Alan Levine, chair of Florida’s Board of Governors, pulled Stuart Bell’s confirmation from this week’s agenda, saying UF trustees had delegated excessive authority to board chair Mori Hosseini and were out of compliance with system rules.
UF responded by scheduling a Monday meeting to make Bell interim president, arguing the delay was political and unrelated to Bell after trustees had unanimously chosen him for the permanent job.
James Uthmeier’s office told the governors Levine lacked a valid legal basis to delay the vote, while Rick Scott and conservative critics separately questioned UF’s search process, contracts and Hosseini’s influence.
Bell’s candidacy remains alive, but the standoff raises the risk that Florida’s governors could derail UF’s presidential search for a second straight year after rejecting Santa Ono in 2025.