When he announced his appointees to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees, Gov. Ron DeSantis betrayed the public trust by ignoring the promises made in 2001 when the board was formed.
- The University of West Florida Board of Trustees was established to give the local community more control over the university and strengthen the bond between UWF and Northwest Florida.
DeSantis has broken his predecessors’ promise to keep the governance of UWF in the hands of locals. Instead of locals, he has appointed five people with little or no invested interest in Pensacola, Escambia County or the university.
HISTORY LESSON
Gov. Jeb Bush appointed the first University of West Florida Board of Trustees in June 2001. Before, all universities were governed by a State Board of Regents. Lawmakers and the public were told that the board would be comprised mostly of local people who would, for the first time, direct local university operations.
- Board of Regents member and soon-to-be UWF trustee Collier Merrill told the PNJ: “You’re going to have a board of trustees invested in the community.”
UWF College of Business dean Ed Ranelli said, “It will codify that the West Florida community is the stockholder in the University of West Florida. I think the community will take more responsibility for the development of the university, and the university will take more responsibility for the community.”
WHO WERE THE FIRST BOARD APPOINTEES?
The first UWF Board of Trustees was filled with Pensacola residents and from across Northwest Florida. Those outside the Panhandle were either alums or had served on advisory boards
Honor Bell, Chief of Naval Education at NAS Pensacola
Pam Bilbrey, Senior Vice President, Baptist Health Care
Collier Merrill, President, Merrill Land
Travis Bowden, President/CEO, Gulf Power
Dr. Lornetta Epps, Pensacola physician
Roy Wayne Smith, retired Exxon senior executive, retired UWF instructor and administrator.
Kenneth Clark, CEO, Heritage Asset Management in St. Petersburg Beach, 2001 UWF Distinguished Alumnus
JoAnn Morgan, director of external relations and business development for NASA Kennedy Space Center, advisory board member of UWF IHMC
Sharon Hess Herrick, owner of Hess Financial Services in Pensacola
Carol Dover, the Florida Restaurant Association’s CEO, lives in Havana, Fla.
Gen. Charles Horner, retired Air Force commander, living in Shalimar, Fla.
Eddie Phillips, owner of Phillips Consulting in Shalimar, a member of the UWF advisory board.
DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
- Hire and fire the university president.
- Set the president’s salary and employment conditions.
- Develop a strategic plan for the university.
- Develop a university budget.
- Set tuition within legislative parameters.
- Approve new and terminate existing academic programs up to the doctoral level.
- Establish student codes of conduct.
- Administer university personnel programs.
- Govern admission of students.
- Administer intercollegiate athletic programs.
SHOW SUPPORT
The new Univesity of West Florida Board of Trustees holds its first meeting on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. Most of the new picks have little or no relationship with the university or the community. The meeting will be via Zoom, so they don’t have to visit the Pensacola campus before voting on the university’s future.
We know what happened at the New College of Florida. Inweekly will not sit silently and watch history repeat on Jan. 23.
I ask that you sign and share this online petition. I will email to the trustees. Thank you.