Florida Polytechnic trustees narrowly pick state college leader as next president

As the Florida Polytechnic University board of trustees debated the choice of its next president, it came down to this question: Is a technical background crucial for the leader of a school that aspires to be the “the MIT of the South”?

The trustees ultimately decided that the answer is no.

In a 7-6 vote following sometimes testy debate, the board of trustees selected G. Devin Stephenson, the president of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville. Stephenson was the only one of the five finalists without a background in STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Florida Polytechnic, which opened in 2014 in Lakeland, is the only state university specializing in those subjects.

The discussion preceding the vote produced two obvious top candidates: Stephenson and H. Keith Moo-Young, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. In an informal roll call before the vote, five board members expressed a preference for Moo-Young.

The only other candidate to receive an informal vote was David P. Norton, vice president for research and a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida. Trustee Ajeet Kaushik, an assistant professor of chemistry, said that faculty members were evenly divided between Norton and Moo-Young.

But Stephenson drew enthusiastic support from a majority of trustees. Backers said that he has a proven record as a fundraiser and is best equipped to advocate for Florida Poly among leaders of the Florida Legislature.

Stephenson has been president at Northwest Florida State College since 2017. The Alabama native, who holds a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Alabama, previously served in community college executive administration roles for more than 15 years in Alabama, Missouri and Kentucky, Florida Poly said in a news release.

During Stephenson’s tenure at Northwest Florida State College, the assets of its foundation have increased to more than $63 million, grant acquisitions have surpassed $66 million and enhanced legislative appropriations have exceeded $40 million, the news release said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Stephenson to represent Florida on the Executive Council of the Southern Regional Education Board. Stephenson’s age was not available from the Florida Polytechnic staff. A public directory listed him as 71.

The other two finalists were Daniel W. O’ Sullivan, vice academic dean in 2017 at the U.S. Naval Academy, and Bjong Wolf Yeigh, a former chancellor at the University of Washington-Bothell.

Florida Poly President Randy K. Avent, the only leader the school has known, announced last summer that he would retire at the end of this academic year. Avent plans to return as a professor after a sabbatical.

'An ability to sell and promote Poly'

At Monday’s meeting, General Counsel David Fugett shared composite scores from surveys submitted by students, faculty and staff after each of five finalists visited campus. Stephenson had the highest composite score, 4.22 on a scale of one to five, followed by Moo-Young (4.14), Yeigh (3.83), O’Sullivan (3.29) and Norton (3.16).

Books Polk County Public Schools set to refine policy on responding to book challenges

Cliff Otto, chair of the board of trustees, set the tone as discussion of the finalists began. He praised Stephenson as a successful fundraiser with a commitment to growth and said he would be effective at pursuing financial support for the school from the Legislature. Vice Chair Beth Kigel, who led the search committee, said that Florida Poly students seemed especially engaged and enthusiastic when meeting with Stephenson as he visited campus.

Trustee Dorian Abbott also expressed a clear preference for Stephenson.

“My understanding is that the main goals of Florida Poly are to double its student body size and to significantly increase the scope and visibility of research efforts happening on campus,” said Abbott, one of four trustees appointed last year. “And the most important skills that a president has to have to achieve these goals are an ability to sell and promote Poly externally, and an ability to obtain funds and other resources from the state. I think that Stevenson has demonstrated these skills best, and as a result, he's my top choice.”

No STEM pedigree?

But some trustees pushed back, suggesting that a university with aspirations for national status as a STEM school should have a leader fluent in technological subjects. When the board appeared ready to vote on a motion to offer the job to Stephenson, trustee Mark Bostick, one of the only Polk County residents on the board, objected that the process was being “somewhat railroaded.”

Bostick and a few other trustees described Stephenson has having a community college background. Northwest Florida State College, formerly known as Okaloosa-Walton Community College, became a state college offering some bachelor’s degrees in the late 2000s.

Bostick warned that Florida Poly would become “a laughingstock” if it chose as president a leader of a state college with no STEM pedigree. Suggesting that the selection of Stephenson would be “a disaster,” he lamented that the search committee did not heed his suggestion to hire a search firm. He recommended starting the process over.

Trustee David Williams, a former dean of the College of Engineering at Ohio State University, also emphatically urged the selection of Moo-Young rather than Stephenson. He called Rensselaer Polytechnic, where Moo-Young is an executive, the best polytechnic university in the country.

“Dr. Moo-Young is one of the only two candidates to have led a university,” Williams said. “In that university, he accomplished all the objectives that we look for in our president. And he does not need to tell us what he plans to do, because he's done it.”

Melia Rodriguez, the student representative on the board of trustees, also described Moo-Young as the best qualified candidate.

'First candidate who felt like our Randy'

But the contingent preferring Stephenson held sway. Trustee Jesse Panuccio said it was “deeply unfortunate” to hear other trustees speak negatively about the prospect of picking Stephenson.

“The fact is, Dr. Stevenson has had an accomplished record leading multiple institutions,” Panuccio said. “And we have a record in Florida of college presidents who have had great success, not necessarily having an education background, or even a background in that particular expertise of that university.”

He pointed to John Thrasher, a former state legislator with no academic background who served as president of Florida State University from 2014 to 2021.

Ilya Shapiro, appointed last year as a trustee, also defended Stephenson. He recalled a comment he heard from a student during the candidate’s visit, describing Stephenson as “the first candidate who felt like our Randy.”

Florida Poly, the newest and second-smallest member of the State University System, has about 1,540 students.

The trustees directed Fugett to negotiate a contract with Stephenson. His appointment still requires approval by the Board of Governors of the State University System. Both his selection and a contract will be presented to the board at either its May 8 or June 27 meeting, the release said.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Florida Poly trustees choose state college leader as next president