University of Florida president-elect Stuart Bell is set to earn an average annual salary of about $2.4 million if he is confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors during a special meeting on July 1.
The special meeting was scheduled just days after Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine postponed a vote on Bell’s appointment over “governance” concerns. Levine removed the item from the BOG’s June 25 agenda, citing concerns that UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini held too much influence over board decision-making.
In a June 17 letter to State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, Levine accused Hosseini of exceeding the authority granted under a BOG regulation that limits the powers of individual trustees and requires boards to act collectively.
UF leaders rejected Levine’s claims, as did state Attorney General James Uthmeier, who is also a UF employee. In a letter to BOG member Nicholas Sinatra, Uthmeier said the university was not out of compliance and that Levine was “incorrect to withhold consideration of the Trustees’ nomination on that basis.”
Uthmeier’s office also said Florida law gives university boards of trustees broad discretion to require presidents to perform various duties, including obtaining approval from the board chair for hiring, compensation and other lawful matters.
In a post on X, UF Board Vice Chair Rahul Patel called the postponement “unfair to Dr. Bell and harmful to the University of Florida and the students, faculty, alumni, and supporters we are entrusted to serve.”
Following the delay, UF’s board held an emergency meeting on June 22, where trustees appointed Bell as interim president with a $2 million annual base salary, effective July 1.
Levine signaled soon after the vote he would consider a meeting “as soon as legally possible” to consider Bell as president, but conditioned it on whether “the governance issues were resolved.” Levine also supported a recommendation by Hosseini to engage a third-party expert to review governance documents, delegated authorities and BOG policies across the State University System and recommend best practices.
“Our mutual goal should be to be an example of best practice in university governance,” Levine said.
If the BOG confirms Bell on July 1, his permanent contract would take effect that day and run through June 30, 2031. The agreement includes a 3% annual raise if certain performance metrics are met, and calls for Hosseini and Bell to develop a plan by May 31, 2027, for bonus and retention payments of up to 15% of Bell’s base salary for years two through five of the term.
The board can terminate Bell’s contract without cause by a majority vote at any time.
The BOG’s confirmation of Bell is not guaranteed. The state board last year voted down UF’s previous choice for president, former University of Michigan President Dr. Santa Ono, citing concerns over his past support for DEI programs, his efforts to position UM as a leader in climate change research and his handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
It marked the first time in the board’s history it rejected a university trustee board’s presidential pick.
Bell, who served as president of the University of Alabama from July 2015 through July 2025, also has a history of supporting DEI programs.
He said during his interview with UF trustees that although he once championed the initiatives, they no longer reflect his merit-based values.
“I am not coming to Florida to bring DEI or any type of ‘woke’ back,” he reiterated at the BOT meeting. Instead, he said he wants to build an institution based on merit, hard work and accountability.
UF’s housing plan
Also caught up in the governance dispute was the approval of a $198 million loan to UF for the second phase of a major student housing expansion.
UF chose to accelerate Phase 2 by combining it with Phase 1, which reduced the per-bed cost from $195,000 to $182,400. If approved, the BOG will have authorized a total of $443 million in loans for UF to complete the project.
The entire project, which will replace Trusler, Simpson and Graham halls, is expected to add over 2,200 beds to campus, primarily for freshmen, by fall 2029.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: UF to pay Bell average annual salary of $2.4M if OK’d by BOG on July 1
Reporting by Chelsea Long, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Chelsea Long, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
