On May 8, the University of West Florida (UWF) Board of Trustees held a special meeting to discuss the university’s strategic plan and other important topics. Chair Rebecca Matthews led the meeting, which included committee meetings following the general board discussion.
- New trustees Rebecca Moya, Paul Bailey and Chris Young took a more aggressive stance than they did in their previous meetings – before being confirmed. .
- Though rejected by the Senate committees on higher education and ethics, Kissel is still a trustees for 45 days after the session, and Gov. DeSantis can reappoint him.
- Though he was a Pensacola State College trustee until yesteday, Zach Smith somehow had a wealth of knowledge about alleged past DEI actions at UWF.
Here’s a summary of the key points covered:
Chair Rebecca Matthews welcomed the board’s newest member, Trustee Zach Smith, who was appointed effective May 7. She also shared her positive experiences attending UWF’s 2025 spring commencement ceremonies.
“It really was a wonderful event for the students, families, friends, all those that were in attendance,” Matthews said. “President Saunders and all of UWF really did a smashing job delivering a memorable day to all of the graduates.”
Strategic Plan Updates
One of the meeting’s primary focuses was the university’s strategic plan, which was developed in 2022 and approved by the Board of Governors. Chair Rebecca Matthews explained that immediate changes are needed to bring the plan into compliance with current Florida law, particularly Senate Bill 266 (passed in 2023).
- President Martha Saunders elaborated: “Since that time, there have been some changes in the legislation that creates some problems with some of the language in the plan. We would like to amend some of the language without changing the substance of the plan, and then work with you moving forward to create a new strategic plan.”
Trustee Rachel Moya expressed concern about the timeline: “We’re also technically out of compliance. So that’s what I meant by my comment about it was like we’re behind since that passed in 2023.”
Chair Matthews acknowledged this point: “We definitely, we have moved too slowly to comply with Senate Bill 266, and this is even something I did, I didn’t say it explicitly that way, at least in the Senate Ethics and Elections committee in my last testimony, but I did say that we would be doing a review and the strategic plan is certainly part of that.”
Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Requests
President Saunders provided an update on data requests from the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), explaining the extensive information requested across multiple deadlines. The university reported 287 grants and almost 4,000 journal publications in their submissions.
The discussion became particularly heated when President Saunders informed the board about two canceled grants:
- An NIH RISE grant for financially disadvantaged students
- An NSF Noyce grant for educating science and math majors using social justice models in high-needs schools
Trustee Chris Young pressed for more information: “Do we have more to be concerned about? It seems like we’re revising our mission after we receive the grants to fit a narrative that I guess doesn’t comply with those grants causing them to be canceled. I mean, is this just the tip of the iceberg or after when we look under the hood some more, are we going to find more issues? And I mean it’s causing me some heartburn here.”
Trustee Adam Kissel aggressively questioned the details of the Noyce grant, pointing out discrepancies between public statements and grant documentation: “So my question may be more for the provost than the president. I’m not sure who knows the answer to this is, so what was the university saying to the government versus what it’s saying this week? I’m trying to reconcile these two different positions.”
- Provost Jeremy Kuhl explained that while the social justice theme had been removed from the program goals, it remained in the title and abstract. This prompted Trustee Kissel to ask, “So is this just another example of changing the language, but in this case, changing the substance rather than only changing the language and not the substance of the program?”
Contentious Exchanges Over Past Programming
Tensions escalated further when newly appointed Trustee Zach Smith directly challenged President Saunders about past university programming:
“I’ll be frank with you, some of the things I’ve seen are very concerning to me,” Smith stated.
He proceeded to question Saunders about university-sponsored events, including a drag show called “Drag Me to Hell” and programming related to certain authors and speakers.
When President Saunders indicated she was unfamiliar with some of the events, Smith pressed further: “What are the safeguards, Dr. Saunders?” and later said, “I appreciate that answer Dr. Saunders, but again, I’ll be frank, that doesn’t give me much comfort.”
- Ambush? This line of questioning prompted a sharp rebuke from Trustee Alonzie Scott: “I see one trustee ambush our president. I’m not very happy about that Trustee Zach Smith at all. Essentially what I see you doing, I’ve read your book, ‘Rogue Prosecutors and How Radical Stories Lawyers are Destroying American Communities.’ I can tell you, you’re about as radical as I’ve seen in any place I’ve ever been.”
Trustee Susan James also intervened: “Chair Matthews, I’m sorry that we’ve gotten so far off your planned agenda. I would hope that we are all working together to solve the problems that are really important… I’m pretty unsettled by the way this direction is going.”
Questions About DEI Priorities and Leadership
Trustee Adam Kissel pointedly questioned President Saunders about her stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion:
- “You just said to me a minute ago that now you support the current SUS policy. And so I’m just wondering where your professional judgment is and has changed when equity had been a core value of the university until just a couple years ago now it’s not. I’m just having a hard time understanding where you really stand.”
President Saunders responded: “Well, I can assure you I’m going to stand in compliance and support with the state university system. My personal feelings are one thing, but we are state university and we rely heavily on the support from the state and I will say as embodied by the governor. And as these priorities change, we change with them.”
Positive Data Amid Controversy
Despite the heated exchanges, Trustee Rachel Moya brought attention to positive trends at the university:
- “My other question is do the numbers that you have available on student enrollment also show positive student enrollment growth? And if so, what roughly is it the percentage of growth right now?”
President Saunders confirmed: “Fall enrollment was up 3%, spring enrollment and we measured year to year, fall to fall. Spring enrollment was up 6%. Summer numbers are still at play. Yesterday’s report was they were up 5%.”
- Moya emphasized the importance of accurate information: “I want us to continue as trustees to operate in the facts and bring light to the true information.”
Meeting Conclusion
Student Government Association President Trista Bennett urged the board to focus on students: “I would just encourage everyone to act or speak in the best interest of what our students want here at the university.”
The meeting concluded with President Saunders agreeing to provide several follow-up items to board members before the board took a short break and proceeded to committee meetings.