On July 1, Florida’s Board of Governors voted 15-1 to confirm Stuart R. Bell, former University of Alabama president, as the next leader of the University of Florida.
Bell assumed his role immediately and has faced criticism for implementing extensive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at Alabama. After state law banned DEI in 2024, he reportedly made only cosmetic adjustments to those efforts. U.S. News & World Report noted a significant decline in Alabama’s national university rankings under his leadership.
Concerns have also been raised about UF’s hiring process. Morteza “Mori” Hosseini, a real estate developer and major donor to Governor Ron DeSantis, who serves as UF’s Board of Trustees chairman, is accused of overstepping authority in negotiations with interim president Donald Landry. The deal with Landry paid him $4.5 million for approximately nine months of work. Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., a former governor and Hosseini’s 2016 appointee to the board, denounced Landry’s compensation as “insane” and pledged to investigate university governance on the same day Bell was confirmed. Bell’s five-year contract will pay him more than three times Landry’s salary.
Last year, Florida’s Board of Governors rejected Santa J. Ono, former University of Michigan president, who had implemented DEI but claimed he disclaimed the ideology. Hosseini and other UF trustees questioned the board’s authority to veto hiring decisions, leading to trustee appointments with business interests aligned with his network. DeSantis praised Bell as a “great selection” this year despite minimal comment on UF’s presidential search last year. The governor will be term-limited in January 2027 and has hinted at future political ambitions that would require Hosseini-style donor support.
A third-party investigation was initiated to address procedural issues at UF, but within a week, the board approved Bell with only Governor Aubrey Edge raising questions about DEI. Bell stated he does not want to bring “Woke” back to UF, though his background suggests DEI could resurface in disguised forms similar to Alabama’s changes. An Inside Higher Ed survey found 43% of university presidents rebranded DEI efforts under frameworks like “belonging” or “access,” while only 11% eliminated DEI programs entirely. University of South Florida associate vice president Haywood Brown resigned after admitting that recent state and federal laws did not change his work, declaring: “Even though I eliminated my title, I didn’t eliminate my job.”
Bell now has authority to appoint UF administrators including a provost and deans. At Alabama, he reportedly appointed individuals with DEI-focused approaches that may have skirted state anti-DEI laws. Millions of Floridians voted for DeSantis based on his pledge to eliminate DEI from public institutions. Many more followed Florida’s model for education reform and moved to the state for non-woke opportunities. The potential return of racial considerations in UF admissions could affect its 55,000 students. Bell’s appointment is now final, but conscientious observers are urged to monitor his actions closely before DeSantis might seek their support.
