For the past six months, the mention of state Sen. John Thrasher’s name was usually followed by “a candidate for the president’s job at Florida State University.”
The St. Augustine Republican was first mentioned as a likely contender in March, a month after Eric Barron was selected president-elect of Penn State University.
After enduring a lengthy search and even a bit of heckling, the process is almost over.
And Thrasher is fine with that.
“I’m certainly glad Tuesday is coming,” said Thrasher, who received his undergraduate and law degrees from FSU.
Tuesday is when the university’s Board of Trustees is scheduled to interview candidates forwarded to them Monday by the search committee. The board is expected to make its choice for president Tuesday.
Thrasher said he feels comfortable with what he told the search committee during his interview last week. “I was candid and upfront about my strengths and weaknesses,” he said.
It’s been an educational process for him, Thrasher said.
“I’ve learned obviously a lot more about Florida State University than I ever knew,” he said, including the challenges in helping the school get into the top 25. “It’s been a very broadening experience.”
Plus, he said, he’s met a lot of new students, faculty and administrators for whom he has great respect.
Thrasher’s learned about himself along the way, as well.
“I learned I do have patience. It may not appear that way sometimes, but I really do,” he said.
He also discovered he has a lot of friends who have been “rooting for us and praying for us.”
And he’s been reminded of the dedication from Jean, his wife of nearly 50 years, who’s been “just absolutely rock solid,” including being at every meeting.
Thrasher, 70, has been a vocal supporter of FSU during his time as a state lawmaker. His political sway has helped his beloved alma mater receive millions in funding. The medical school there bears his name and he’s been chairman of the board of trustees.
That political background is why some factions are against his candidacy. The other finalists — Richard Marchase, Michael Martin and Michele Wheatly — are academics, which is important to much of the faculty.
“There are some great other people,” Thrasher said. “I don’t know them, but I’ve read about them and understand they’re all talented.”
His daylong interview last week featured some hecklers in one of the sessions — a small percentage of the more than 100 students there.
“It was a little bit disturbing in the context of what I’m used to in terms of respect,” he said.
In the Legislature, differences of opinion are handled differently, he said.
“You just learn respecting somebody on the opposite side is part and parcel of what the process is about,” Thrasher said.
He knows some were upset when the search committee stalled the process in the spring and wanted him to be the lone candidate to be interviewed.
“I didn’t select how the process was going to be done,” he said. “I just put my name in. It’s wound its way through ups and downs.”
That roller coaster should end Tuesday. “I’m at peace about it. I feel like I’ve done what I needed to do,” he said.
Thrasher knows he may not be the final choice. “If someone out there is better than me, I will walk away with my head high,” Thrasher said.
More importantly to him, “I will always be a strong Seminole.”
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