Pensacola State College President Ed Meadows will retire at the end of this year.
Meadows, who has been the college’s president since 2008, made the surprise announcement at the District Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday night on the Milton campus.
Meadows plans to retire on Dec. 31.
“As the last president of Pensacola Junior College and the first president of Pensacola State College, I am very fortunate to have served this fine institution for 18 years and eight months, upon my planned retirement,” Meadows said in his resignation letter to the PSC trustees.
“There’s much work to be done with ongoing initiatives between now and then, and the end of the year. And I pledge my assistance in helping create a smooth transition for the next leader of the college.”
Meadows’ resignation comes after a tumultuous 14 months in which Gov. Ron DeSantis made several conservative appointments to the Board of Trustees, much like he did at the University of West Florida.
In February 2025, DeSantis replaced longtime PSC trustees Carol Carlan, Margie Moore and Julie Sheppard, with Edward Fleming, Andrew Hobbs, Dr. Joel Rudman and Zack Smith. In January, he appointed Richard Holzknecht, Todd Leonard, Oscar Locklin and Audrey McDonald to the board.
Both Fleming and Smith also served on the UWF Board of Trustees.
However, not all of DeSantis’ appointees worked out. In April 2025, Rudman resigned from the PSC board before a Senate Ethics and Elections confirmation hearing at which he refused to appear. Just last month, Hobbs’ name was pulled from full Senate confirmation by the governor’s office after Hobbs was the only trustee to vote against ending WSRE-TV’S affiliation with the Public Broadcasting Service.
PSC trustees voted 3-1 on Sept. 16 to decertify the WSRE-TV Foundation and end WSRE-TV’s affiliation with PBS on June 30.
Citing budget constraints, Meadows made the recommendations to the Board of Trustees, which also holds the television station’s FCC license. He said the college couldn’t absorb the extra costs of operating under PBS following WSRE-TV’s loss of $1.2 million in federal grants and $370,000 in state funds.
The college is currently involved a federal lawsuit filed by the WSRE-TV Foundation. In the lawsuit, the foundation, which served as a fundraising arm for WSRE-TV public broadcasting station, claims the college is trying to seize control of its donations as part of an effort to eliminate PBS programming in Florida and is asking a federal judge to keep the nonprofit independent.
Meadows legacy at Pensacola State College
Despite recent controversy, Meadows leaves a positive legacy at the college. During his tenure, he oversaw the institution’s transition from Pensacola Junior College to a state college in 2010, and when it began offering baccalaureate degrees in 2011.
The college also opened three new campuses—the South Santa Rosa Center and Century Center in 2012, and a Commercial Truck Driving Training Center in 2022 in Milton—under his leadership.
Pensacola State also upgraded and built several new facilities, including the Charles Lamar Studio for Visual Arts, the Baars Technology Building and the Bears, Jones, Moore and Reeves Center for Math and Advanced Technology.
The Baars Technology Building replaced the college’s first structure at the Ninth Avenue location—the original five-wing Mary Ellison Baars Building.
PSC was also one of the first institutions in Florida to offer a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity. In 2022, the college opened the Pensacola State College Charter Academy for high school students.
The college has also expanded workforce offerings with the Aviation Airframe Mechanics, Aviation Powerplant Mechanics, Commercial Vehicle Driving and Engineering Technology programs.
In his resignation, Meadows also referenced the college and community going through the Great Recession, a hurricane, two major floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Nevertheless, Pensacola State has also experienced growth and transformation marked by the expansion of academic programs, major capital investments, enhanced student success initiatives and strengthened community and workforce partnerships,” he said.
Before coming to PSC, Meadows served 17 years in the Alabama Community College System – 12 of those years as a president. He also worked 10 years in the Mississippi Community College System as a faculty member, department chair and campus dean.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola State College President Ed Meadows announces retirement
Reporting by Mary Lett, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
