FIU’s only candidate for president: Interim president who had vowed not to stay on for long
After months of searching, Florida International University announced Wednesday it has only one candidate for its presidency: Kenneth Jessell, who has been serving as interim president since late January and had previously said he wouldn’t become the university’s sixth president.
Roger Tovar, the chair of the university’s presidential search committee and the vice chair of the FIU Board of Trustees, said in an email to the FIU community that the committee screened about 70 candidates, interviewed a dozen and selected some names to advance to the Board of Trustees, although he didn’t say how many.
Ultimately, however, it wasn’t up to the committee: Only one candidate chose to enter the final round — Jessell.
“Only one candidate is being recommended to the BOT, due to an unwillingness by other individuals to continue their candidacy, unless they were the sole recommendation of the committee,” Tovar said.
The board will meet Thursday.
Asked how many candidates dropped out at the last minute, FIU spokeswoman Maydel Santana wrote in an email: “Please note that the names of other applicants remain confidential and exempt under the applicable statute and cannot be released.”
She cited Senate Bill 520, with its companion bill House Bill 703, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in March and keeps confidential the names and other identifying facets of applicants for state university presidencies.
A change of heart
Jessell, 67, rose to the top when then-President Mark Rosenberg resigned abruptly in late January under the cloud of a misconduct allegation. Jessell had been the university’s chief financial officer and vice president for finance administration for 13 years.
READ MORE: FIU President Mark Rosenberg abruptly resigns, stunning colleagues and students
In March, explaining his rationale for not wanting to stay on as president, Jessell told the Herald: “I loved what I was doing and want to go back to that position. I’ve always enjoyed being very, very supportive to the president and really focusing on some of the weeds, the details, in getting things done.
“I don’t think I want to make a commitment long term. I’ll probably be 67 by the time everything is done, so it’s the right decision,” he added. He turned 67 on July 10.
READ MORE: Five things you may not know about FIU’s Interim President Ken Jessell
Addressing Jessell’s reversal, Tovar wrote in his missive Wednesday: “As you may know, Dr. Jessell initially said he was not interested in applying for this position. We recruited him because many of us thought he was ideal for the position and several members of the community reached out to the search firm to nominate Dr. Jessell. We are thankful he ultimately decided to answer the call to become a candidate.”
What’s next?
In his email Wednesday, Tovar praised Jessell’s “work ethic, strategic thought process and unwavering integrity.”
“He is brilliant and kind and has steered us through an important transition at a pivotal moment for FIU,” Tovar added.
The search process, now fully public, will last at least 21 more days and involve open forums with the university community.
READ MORE: FIU continues rapid rise in national rankings, UF and UM hold their spots
“These forums will give all our stakeholders an opportunity to interact directly with Dr. Jessell, share ideas and ask questions,” Tovar said in the email to the FIU community.
After those events, the FIU Board of Trustees will meet “to consider the Presidential Search Committee’s recommendation and the community’s feedback,” he said.
