The ruptured friendship-of-convenience between Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican state Rep. Randy Fine reveals new evidence of how politics corrupts higher education and why both of them were wrong to support the law that draped an iron curtain of secrecy over searches for university presidents in Florida.
In case you missed it, Fine repudiated his endorsement of DeSantis for president and embraced Donald Trump instead, in an op-ed in the Washington Times that soon rippled through Florida media. With Israel at war and DeSantis’ poll numbers dropping daily, Fine, the only Jewish Republican in the Legislature, claimed DeSantis is weak on antisemitism, and cited his conspicuous refusal to denounce Nazi demonstrations in the state.
Fine considers Trump any better? What? It was Trump who said “fine people” were among the Nazis at Charlottesville, Va., in 2017. It was Trump who hosted notorious antisemites Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Nick Fuentes at a Mar-a-Lago dinner.
Firing back, DeSantis accused Fine of turning against him in pique over not being a finalist for the presidency at Florida Atlantic University.
Fine claims the governor’s office urged him to seek the FAU post and that he was hesitant, but according to Politico, an unidentified source in DeSantis’ office said Fine and some supporters “went to the governor’s office begging to get him the FAU job.” Speaking to Sun Sentinel reporter Scott Travis, Fine questioned why DeSantis can’t control the FAU trustees.
Poisonous secrecy
What matters is this: Nothing about Fine’s application, or any others, was supposed to be public unless he was chosen as a finalist. And that was wrong.
That secrecy was the sole stated purpose of a 2022 law, SB 520, which made secret a search process that had been public from start to finish for decades. Now, only the names, applications and interviews of three finalists for each vacancy are public. Fine was one of 86 House members who voted for it, and DeSantis signed it.
Supporters ignored warnings that it would make it easier to corrupt academe with partisan politics that wouldn’t be seen until it became too late to stop them. Or perhaps some voted for it for precisely that reason.
In Fine’s case, the political meddling was obvious in time to stop it — revealed ironically by DeSantis himself when he said Fine would make a good president at FAU. It was an unmistakable message to the trustees, most of whom are direct or indirect DeSantis appointees.
But it backfired. To their credit, search committee members chose three other finalists, all highly regarded educators. A decision was blocked in July by heavy-handed interference in Tallahassee, where DeSantis’ Board of Governors has alleged “anomalies.” Four months later, FAU still has no permanent president.
The whole sordid episode vividly shows how university presidents should not be hired. Sunshine is still the best disinfectant for political meddling.
Gaming a bad system
After the law exempting university presidential searches from public record was passed, naturally, publicity-shy applicants quickly gamed the system, refusing to become finalists unless they were the only ones. That’s how Ben Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska, secured the University of Florida presidency. From Gainesville to Omaha, others saw the fix was in.
Sole finalists are now a pattern. DeSantis’ ally Richard Corcoran had no known competition at New College of Florida, and state Rep. Fred Hawkins of St. Cloud was the lone finalist at South Florida State College — a move that necessitated Tuesday’s special election to choose Republican and Democratic nominees to square off in January for his long-vacant District 35 seat.
The thin pretext for search secrecy is that top-ranking academics are loathe to apply for jobs they might not get for fear of jeopardizing current jobs. The reality is more likely sheer vanity that they can’t stand the embarrassment of not being chosen.
When it comes to public university vacancies, voters and taxpayers have an absolute right to know not just who’s chosen, but who was not, and why.
The secret search law is a disaster and should be repealed. It hasn’t produced better college and university presidents; it has only created a job pipeline for favored politicians.
The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board includes Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson, Opinion Editor Krys Fluker and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writer Martin Dyckman and Anderson. Send letters to insight@orlandosentinel.com.
