FIU leadership approves Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez as new interim president
MIAMI - The Florida International University Board of Trustees voted Friday to approve Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez as interim president, a decision that will require Gov. Ron DeSantis to appoint a new lieutenant governor.
CBS News Miami's Jim DeFede was first to report that the board would likely name Nunez as interim president.
During the public comment section at the beginning of the special meeting on Friday, a many of those who spoke were against Nunez being appointed.
Kenneth Jessell, the school's current president, has a contract that runs through the end of the year. In a written statement after the special meeting, the Board of Trustees said Jessell will remain at the university in a new role as senior vice president and chief administrative officer.
During a vote, only one board member opposed appointing her.
Nunez has a history with the school. She earned her undergraduate and master's degree there and has been an adjunct professor and advisor to the university.
"I have always been impressed with her engagement and her tireless efforts as a champion of FIU," said Roger Tovar, chair of the FIU Board of Trustees, during the meeting.
"It is this combination of professional experience and an extensive network in South Florida and throughout the state that makes Lt. Gov. Nuñez an ideal leader to help propel FIU into the future," added Tovar as part of a written statement shared with the university community.
Another factor in selecting Nunez, according to sources who spoke with DeFede, would be future state funding for the university.
"They want to be able to get more from the state legislature. They think having the former lieutenant governor as president will help them be able to get money from the legislature. They also see her as being able to improve their fundraising abilities," DeFede said.
Nunez would start her new role as FIU's interim president on Feb. 17.
The Board of Trustees agreed to retain an executive search firm to assist on the search for FIU's next permanent president
DeSantis would need to appoint a new lieutenant governor
Once Nunez formally accepts her new role at FIU, she would have to resign as lieutenant governor and Gov. Ron DeSantis would have to appoint a replacement.
DeFede said a source familiar with the discussions clarified there is no urgency to select a new lieutenant governor and DeSantis would keep the position open for a while.
During a Friday press conference in Tallahassee about a new partnership between FHP and ICE, Gov. DeSantis applauded the Board's decision to select Nunez.
"She's been very supportive of our efforts to bring some sanity to higher education, and so I think in that sense, she's going to do a really good job there. FIU is really an interesting place, because it's our state university in kind of this area that's really boomed over the last four or five years, where Miami has really become a hub of so much," he said.
After the vote, the Florida Democratic Party slammed the appointment.
In a statement, Chair Nikki Fried pointed out that just a few weeks ago, Nunez reversed her position on protecting in-state tuition for undocumented students and now will lead "one of the most diverse colleges in the state. With her record, how can she be trusted to lead the college with the largest population of Hispanic students in the country?"
"Her appointment is just the latest move in Ron's hostile takeover of Florida's colleges and universities, as he continues to install political hacks and loyalists to push his partisan agenda," she said in her statement. "It has nothing to do with improving Florida's cratering educational outcomes and everything to do with rewarding loyalty."