UNF presidential search yields sole finalist amid secrecy-law debate

The University of North Florida's board of trustees will interview its only candidate for president Wednesday on the Jacksonville campus, then immediately vote on whether to hire him — a rushed conclusion to a search process that has rekindled statewide debate over transparency in public university leadership.

Michael Shannon, currently president of the University of North Georgia, emerged as the sole finalist after a search conducted largely in secret under a 2022 state law that shields most of the presidential-interview process from public view. If selected, Shannon's total compensation package is expected to range from $1 million to $1. 4 million.

What's happening

UNF's search committee settled on Shannon as its lone candidate after several prospective finalists declined to move forward in an open, public competition, according to state education officials. The search process was conducted under a 2022 Florida law that exempts most of the presidential candidate vetting from the state's otherwise robust open-government requirements.

Shannon will visit the university's campus on Wednesday for a public interview with the board of trustees. The board plans to hold a vote immediately afterward on his potential hire. UNF spent tens of thousands of dollars on a search firm to conduct the process, according to faculty comments submitted to an online portal.

State education officials say UNF attempted to create a group of finalists but hit a roadblock: several prospective finalists rejected the idea of an open, public competition for the job, agreeing only to be named a finalist if they were the sole finalist.

"You can't force somebody to go forward as a candidate if they don't want to go forward," said Alan Levine, chair of Florida's board of governors, which oversees the state university system.

A statewide pattern

UNF is far from alone. Since the 2022 law was signed, sole finalists have been selected at the University of Florida twice, Florida International University, South Florida State College, Polk State College, the University of West Florida, Pensacola State College, and now UNF.

The law was intended to help Florida universities compete for top talent in a national market where many candidates are reluctant to publicly pursue new jobs for fear of damaging their standing at their current institution. Prospective candidates worry that returning to their employer after a failed public search could harm their career or relationships at the institution they are coming from, Levine said.

But the law's outcomes have prompted second thoughts even from its original supporters. State Rep. Sam Garrison, the incoming House Speaker who represents Fleming Island in Clay County about 21 miles outside Jacksonville, expressed regret about the legislation he ran in 2022.

"The fact that UNF's Board is committed to competition, yet still ended up with a sole finalist tells me the current system is broken," Garrison said in a statement. "I ran the legislation that created this public records exemption for presidential applicants in 2022. It sunsets next year and, candidly, the law can't go away fast enough for me. "

What UNF faculty and students are losing

James Beasley, president of UNF's faculty association, said the lack of competing finalists fundamentally alters the interview process. "We're not really interviewing him," Beasley said. "He's interviewing us, because there's no one for us to compare him to. "

The secrecy around the search has limited the ability of UNF's faculty, students, and alumni to weigh in on who will lead an institution that serves approximately 17,000 students in Jacksonville and is a major employer and economic engine in Duval County. The public is afforded the opportunity to observe only the final steps, as political appointees on university and college boards interview a single candidate and vote swiftly after.

Anonymous faculty comments submitted recently to an online portal show that some professors remain upset about the process. "Another 'sole' candidate for the top job at UNF? " wrote one faculty member. "Why did UNF's Board of Trustees spend tens of thousands of dollars for a search firm if this is the best they can do? "

Another faculty member raised concerns about outside influence: "How did the committee come to just one candidate for the role of the next UNF president? Such a lack of choice suggests either that UNF couldn't attract a broad and diverse set of finalists or worse, that the committee has been pressured to push forward one person who might appeal to a BOG. "

The truncated public phase also limits transparency around a compensation package expected to top $1 million — a significant public expenditure at a state university where tuition, fees, and appropriations ultimately derive from students and taxpayers.

A reform effort stalled

In March, the Advisory Council for Faculty Senates, a faculty group that advises the board of governors, provided a set of suggested policy revisions to the board focused on improving the presidential-search process and increasing competition.

Among the suggestions: removing the "exceptional circumstances" exemption that allows for a single finalist to go forward, even though the board's regulations require multiple finalists. The proposed new rule would have stated: "if the search committee cannot move forward two or more qualified applicants, they must meet until they are able to do so. Failure to meet until they do so would constitute a failed search. "

"According to our new language, what's occurred at UNF would be a failed search," said Beasley, who chairs the presidential searches subcommittee of the advisory council.

The proposed revisions would also prohibit the appointment of an "interim" president who is not already a university employee. At both FIU and UWF, former lawmakers were appointed as interim presidents and then later named the sole finalist for the permanent job.

But in the six months since the council provided its recommendations to board of governors chairman Levine and system chancellor Ray Rodrigues, the matter has never come up for a public vote. Twice, Beasley said, faculty were told that the board of governors would publicly discuss their suggestions — and then the agenda item got postponed.

"We've had two searches since that have had another sole finalist," Beasley said. "That creates a culture of mistrust and uncertainty. "

Levine said he wants faculty to be involved in reshaping the presidential search process, but he doesn't support the proposed changes that faculty suggested in March. "Anything you do to put a limitation on the choice is just that, it's a limitation," Levine said. "You don't limit yourself. "

Regarding the faculty suggestion to prohibit external "interim" presidents, Levine said politics has always cast a long shadow over Florida's public university system. "Ron DeSantis is not the first governor to be involved, or express preferences, or encourage the boards of trustees to pick certain candidates," Levine said.

What happens next

Shannon will appear for his public interview with UNF's board of trustees on Wednesday. The board is expected to vote immediately afterward on whether to hire him as the university's next president.

If Shannon is hired, he will inherit an institution navigating the same pressures facing universities across rapidly growing Northeast Florida: balancing enrollment growth, facilities needs, and workforce-development demands while managing public scrutiny over cost and accountability.

The 2022 secrecy law is scheduled to sunset next year. Whether Florida lawmakers will allow it to expire, renew it, or revise it remains an open question — one with direct consequences for every public university and college in the state, including UNF and the thousands of students, faculty, and staff who call Jacksonville's campus home.

Shannon has said he is "honored" to be considered for the position. But if he is ultimately hired, he may have to work hard to win over skeptics among faculty who feel shut out of a process meant to select the leader of one of Jacksonville's most important public institutions.