Despite being rejected by both the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education and failing to be confirmed by the full Senate, Adam Kissel was reappointed to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees on by Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 20.
DeSantis also appointed to the board Edward Fleming, a Pensacola attorney and founding partner of McDonald Fleming Attorneys At Law. Fleming also serves as a trustee of Pensacola State College.
Kissel, a Visiting Fellow on Higher Education Reform for The Heritage Foundation, was widely panned by the community and by Florida Senate Republicans.
Kissel’s affiliation with the Heritage Foundation, as well as his documented stances on the privatization of public universities and the GI Bill, was met with pushback from community members and Florida senators.
Kissel was appointed by DeSantis in January for a four-year term, which would have ended on Jan. 6, 2030, had he been been confirmed then. He was among five appointments made by the governor at that time, but only two – Paul Bailey and Chris Young − were confirmed by the Senate.
Despite the setback, Kissel has continued to serve on the Board of Trustees, telling the News Journal in May that “my understanding is that I serve until 45 days after the end of the legislative session, which recently was extended.”
DeSantis went on to appoint Zack Smith to the UWF Board of Trustees. Smith also serves on the Pensacola State District College Board of Trustees. Because the appointment was made after session ended, Smith has not yet gone before the Senate for confirmation.
DeSantis set his sights on UWF despite the university landing in the top three among all 12 Florida State University System institutions and top three in four metrics in the Florida Board of Governors’ 2024-2025 performance-based funding model, earning some of its highest marks in university history.
“Congratulations, University of West Florida, for entering the top three on Performance-Based Funding for the first time since 2019,” said Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, when the metrics were announced. “From increasing four-year graduation rates to delivering exceptional returns for bachelor’s graduates, UWF continues to produce incredible outcomes for students.”
During her time as president, UWF President Martha Saunders championed the creation of more than 20 new academic programs, including offerings in cybersecurity, mechanical engineering and an Intelligent Systems and Robotics Ph.D. program in collaboration with the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.
Nonetheless, Saunders remained in the governor’s crosshairs. During a visit to Pensacola, DeSantis seemed to indicate his concerns about the university were less about performance and more about ideology.
In his first trustee meeting only hours after being appointed, Smith grilled Saunders about issues he had identified when combing through UWF’s social media.
Specifically, he pointed to two drag shows co-sponsored by the university, the first of which was held in 2019.
Saunders, who has served as UWF’s president since January 2017, turned in her resignation a few days later, and Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. was appointed interim president.
The Board of Trustees is conducting a search for a permanent president, and the agreement notes Diaz’s term could be extended in the event the search fails.
It’s also possible that Diaz will apply for the job permanently. If so, and if he’s picked, the GOP former state lawmaker will follow other former Florida elected officials into state university and college presidencies, such as former House speaker Richard Corcoran now at New College of Florida and former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez at Florida International University.
“This story has been updated to include additional information.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Despite Senate rejection, DeSantis reappoints Adam Kissel to UWF Board of Trustees
Reporting by Mary Lett, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
