PantherNOW Editorial Board
After a fairly benign, apolitical presidency under Kenneth Jessell, our university capitulates, just like the rest of America, toward Trumpist whims by appointing Jeanette Nunez, someone who’s only qualification to run a university is that she was an FIU student…30 years ago?
While there’s obviously nothing wrong with appointing a new president, the politicking going on is shamefully obvious.
Rogelio Tovar, Board of Trustees chair, even admitted as such when he offhandedly mentioned Governor DeSantis calling him to discuss Nunez’s appointment. Are these the standards we as a university have sunken to?
While she is ostensibly the interim president, don’t expect her going away any time soon. BOT member Dean Colson mentioned how the Board wants to “streamline” the process “starting now”, and that the “probable results” of the search are already known.
Surely, we haven’t got the foggiest idea who that could be.
In a few months or less, expect to get an email sooner rather than later announcing her ascension to presidency, filled with nothingburger words about integrity, commitment, values, or whatever other greeting card platitude you can pull from aisle nine at Walgreens.
Not that she represents any of these. She’s flipped-flopped on key issues affecting thousands of FIU students such as immigration, and like many GOP politicians, was initially very critical of Trump but will now sing his praises to no end in order to stay in power.
Every single student who spoke at the meeting argued against her nomination, mentioning her political connections and lack of experience in managing higher education. Of course, this didn’t stop the near-unanimous vote (SGA President Francesca Casanova included) from going through.
The only opposition to her nomination was Faculty Senate, representing the professors who are constantly harangued by our state government to not teach “woke”, who are now “strongly encouraged” to sign questionable letters assuring their commitment to thinking inside in the box.
These political appointments make it obvious DeSantis has no regard for academic freedom or ideological diversity. Simply put, it’s his way or the highway from here on out in Florida, and no doubt a second Trump term has enabled this kind of rules-breaking behavior nationwide.
But besides ideology, there’s another reason the Board fell over itself to hastily confirm Nunez – money. As lieutenant governor and well-known in state politics, Nunez will likely be around to sweeten any deals between Tallahassee and FIU, ensuring likely more money for vanity projects or Trump’s rumored presidential library (Seriously?).
FIU will be worse off with these political nepo babies, existing solely as empty suits for DeSantis’ House of Cards LARP.
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