University of West Florida trustees Thursday elevated a provost to the school’s presidency, rejecting a state senator while the top trustee cited “interference” from Tallahassee in the decision.
Culminating a six-month search process that resulted in 83 applicants to replace retiring President Judy Bense, the university’s board of trustees voted 9-4 to make Provost and Vice President Martha Saunders the new president Jan. 1.
Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who served as Senate president from 2012-14, received the other votes.
Saunders has deep academic ties to the Pensacola-based university, where she served as a faculty member and administrator between 1984 and 2002 before leaving to take administrative jobs at out-of-state schools, including the presidency of the University of Southern Mississippi. She returned to the University of West Florida as provost in 2013.
She described the board’s decision as a “fairy tale” ending to her academic journey, saying she was surprised by the vote.
Gaetz had the fewest amount of higher-education credentials among the final four candidates. But he had the deepest ties to Tallahassee, where state government plays a large role in setting policy for the university as well as providing the bulk of its funding.
But political machinations in Tallahassee may have played a role in Gaetz coming up short.
Lewis Bear, chairman of the trustees, decried “character assassination” aimed at Gaetz, as critics tried to tie the senator to an ongoing investigation of a hospice company that Gaetz helped found but later sold his interest in. Bear said Gaetz had no part in the inquiry.
“I think we have spread bad rumors about somebody who has done a great job for our state,” Bear said.
Bear also said he was disturbed by “government” interference in the process.
“A number of our trustees have had phone calls from Tallahassee, from high office, from governing boards,” Bear said. “There was never any undue pressure, but there were promises that if you vote for a certain candidate we will do certain things to enhance the University of West Florida.”
Asked to clarify his remarks after the meeting, Bear said his information was “third hand” from trustees, whom he declined to name, nor would he name any Tallahassee officials who allegedly made the calls.
But Bear said he believed the calls hurt Gaetz’s candidacy.
Gaetz, who is leaving the Senate in November because of term limits, declined to react to Bear’s comments.
Brittany Davis, communications director for the state university system, said neither Chancellor Marshall Criser III nor any members of the system’s board of governors contacted UWF trustees in favor or opposition to a presidential candidate.
Jackie Schutz, communications director for Gov. Rick Scott, said the governor “frequently talks with trustees on key issues at our universities.”