Former Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. has been approved as the University of West Florida’s next president. His appointment got some resistance from the school’s faculty.
Diaz is a former State Senator and a political ally of Governor Ron DeSantis. He told members of the UWF board of trustees during his approval Thursday he plans on looking to rebrand the Pensacola academic institution to increase enrollment, as well as bring in additional funding.
“My background, 10 years in the legislature, you spend your entire time fundraising. And I think one of the major roles of a university president is to fundraise, right? I have no problem asking for money,” he said.
His appointment has received some criticism.
Amy Mitchell-Cook, the vice president of the faculty senate, said during public comment at the trustee meeting that other faculty members have expressed concern that Diaz was the only candidate put forward after the search. She said that gave the impression that his appointment was predetermined over all applicants.
“If interim president Diaz was truly the best candidate, then he would have naturally risen to the top of the pool. However, the committee denied him that opportunity and denied the community the chance to see how he compared to the other candidates and whether or not he is truly the most qualified candidate for this important position,” she said.
Diaz’s contract includes a $674 thousand base salary, with benefits and potential bonuses that could bring his compensation up to almost a million.
This isn’t the first time someone high in the governor’s political orbit has taken the helm at a university recently. DeSantis’ former Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez was tapped as the President of Florida International University in Miami and Marva Johnson, Florida A&M University’s new president has ties to the governor as well.