Don Gaetz has been one of the most beloved senators in Florida, but it appears those feelings haven’t transferred over to the University of West Florida.
Students and faculty members are strongly opposing his appointment to the position as head of their university, signing online petitions and writing resolutions against the Niceville Republican.
Over 200 student supporters signed an online petition outlining why they refuse to accept Gaetz as president. The students cited Gaetz’s lack of a Ph.D. and a lawsuit over Medicare fraud as two reasons to oppose his presidency.
The group, “Argos Against Gaetz,” also criticized Gaetz’s desire to support “commercial” research.
Another blow for Gaetz’s presidency came from UWF staff members directly, who composed a resolution openly opposing Gaetz as the university’s sixth president.
“The Faculty Senate does not support Don Gaetz’s candidate for president of UWF and strongly recommends that the Presidential Search Committee and the UWF Board of Trustees select a university president from the pool of other highly qualified finalists,” they wrote.
The UWF Senate referred to initial interviews and background checks as reasons why Gaetz would be “incompatible” with the academic mission and education initiatives of UWF.
Gaetz is one of the final four candidates under consideration to become president of the Pensacola-based university, which serves 13,000 students.
The Niceville Senator was one of the two favorites of the university’s Presidential Search Committee. He’s currently the least experienced in the pool in terms of running a university, but has significant experience in the business sector, founding VITAS Healthcare Corporation in 1983. Gaetz later sold the company for $500 million.
Gaetz also has some local education experience, serving as Okaloosa County superintendent. He also sat on the Okaloosa County School Board.
He served as Senate President from 2012 to 2014. His knowledge of university budgeting is a plus for Gaetz -- he recently chaired the Senate budget subcommittee on education spending, so he knows first-hand how education budgeting is doled out.
Other candidates include Frank Ashley, Martha Saunders and Mike Sherman, all of whom have previous experience as university faculty.
Gaetz’s biggest competition is in Saunders, who currently serves as UWF’s Provost. She has previous experience in heading a university -- she served as president at the University of Southern Mississippi but resigned in April 2012 amidst a tense relationship with the state college board commissioner.
UWF is conducting its next round of interviews until Wednesday and will select a new president Thursday, Sept. 15.
