FAU announces finalists for next university president amid second search effort
After two days of candidate interviews from Jan. 16 to 17, Florida Atlantic University’s Board of Trustees Chair Piero Bussani announced the three finalists in the search for the university’s next president on Jan. 19.
The ongoing search for a new permanent president began on July 27, 2024, marking FAU’s Presidential Search Committee’s second attempt to select the university’s eighth president, after the first attempt failed due to a violation of Florida law on Oct. 30, 2023. The first search initially took place after former President John Kelly stepped down; Interim President Stacy Volnick has held her temporary position since Jan. 1, 2023.
In a University Press interview on Sept. 23, 2024, with Volnick, she said her contract wouldn’t prevent her from running for the permanent position but did not provide a clear answer on whether she would.
About five months after the second search started, which included extensive listening sessions led by the search firm Buffkin/Baker, the three finalists for the position are Michael Hartline, Adam Hasner and John Volin.
Hartline, who was a finalist in the first search that failed, is the dean and Charles A. Bruning Professor of Business Administration at Florida State University. Hasner is executive vice president of public policy for the GEO Group, a private prison company headquartered in Boca Raton, that has a history of a failed partnership with the university over the naming rights of what is now Flagler Credit Union Stadium. Volin is the executive vice president for Academic Affairs & Provost and a professor in the School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine.
Bussani wrote in a statement yesterday that these finalists will conduct public forums on campus, which are planned to be scheduled for the first week of February, before interviewing with the Board of Trustees. The next FAU Presidential Search Committee meeting will be on Jan. 27.
Michael Cook is the Managing Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email michael17cook@gmail.com.
Latest University Press
- FAU students protest the presidential forum of finalist Adam HasnerOn Feb. 7, Florida Atlantic University students gathered around Boca Raton’s Student Union to protest the presidential forum of Adam Hasner, one of the three finalists for the position of FAU President. The protest was organized mainly by the College Democrats at FAU, a student-run organization. For hours, students who were both for and against...
- Checking In: FAU women’s basketball conference halfway checkpointFlorida Atlantic women’s basketball (10-14, 2-9 AAC) is a little more than halfway through its American Athletic Conference schedule for the 2024-25 season. The Owls are currently ranked 12th in the AAC, tied last with Wichita State. In the preseason poll, the Owls were picked last in spot 13 in the conference going into their...
- FAU Presidential Finalist John Volin addresses academic freedom, technology at forumsJohn Volin, one of three finalists for Florida Atlantic University’s current presidential search, presented his vision for the institution during a series of public forums on Feb. 6. If elected, he would become FAU’s eighth president. Volin, the current executive vice president and provost at the University of Maine, addressed topics about academic freedom, artificial...
- Softball: Kiley Channell enters her second year as a must-watch playerFrom the small town of Keystone Heights, Fla. to the swaying palm trees in Boca Raton, Kiley Channell is stepping into her sophomore year as a standout talent on the Florida Atlantic University’s softball roster. Channell played tee ball since the age of four, making her no stranger to the game, nor when it comes...
- Letter to the Editor: Adam Hasner as problematic presidential candidate with history of anti-Muslim viewsAs a graduate student and stakeholder in Florida Atlantic University’s future direction, one of three finalists under consideration for the presidency of FAU stood out as a cause for concern due to his professional background and affiliations: Adam Hasner. Hasner’s public resume has been scrubbed of any mention of the information to follow; however, it...
- FAU finalist Michael Hartline pitches to be next presidentMichael Hartline appealed to the crowd with humor at the public forums on Feb. 3 across three of Florida Atlantic University’s campuses, speaking to faculty, students, staff, donors and community members as he pitched himself to be the university’s eighth president. With the ongoing second search for the next permanent president beginning on July 27,...