Fiu Picks Lt. Gov. Jeanette núñez for the position of president after a request by Desantis – Tampa Bay Times Times

Without searching, the International University of Florida on Friday, the Lieutenant Lieutenant as his acting president, displacing the longtime administrator who has run the school in Miami-Dad District for the past three years.

Voting on board 11-1 ratified a secret plan, which takes weeks of weeks to install Lieutenant Zhenet Nunes, a former healthcare lobbyist from Miami-Dadd, as a new president of the state school. The hiring of Núñez in the State -funded school was a request from the office of governor Ron Ron Zanthis, the chairman of the board Roger load in front of members of the board on Friday.

Núñez will take over the helm on February 17, said a load after the State Council of Managers approved its appointment and a load negotiates a contract of employment. It was not clear on Friday morning, when Ninws would resign as Lieutenant Governor.

The decision taken at an online board meeting, called two days earlier, sets a senior republican leader responsible for a state school with 56,000 students, a growing academic profile and the pursuit of more state funding, which university leaders say they hope for Nunes Yes Wrange from Tallahassee. Núñez is the first woman to lead FIU and also the first graduate of FIU to president.

“It is a real product of what it is about our FIU,” said a load at the meeting. “I have always been impressed with her engagement and tireless efforts as a FIU champion.”

In his comments, the load has made it clear that hiring Núñez is a request from the governor.

“Today we have the opportunity to continue to move FIU forward,” he said. “The governor’s service contacted me and suggested that Lieutenant Zhenet Nunes consider the next FIU leader.”

Núñez did not participate in the board meeting, but issued a statement after the vote.

“As a two -time graduate and proud mom of the Panther, I am deeply committed to FIU success,” she said. “I look forward to working with the board of trustees in the coming days.”

On the eve of the Friday meeting, Núñez supporters said they thought it would bring gravity to Talahassi that FIU should provide more money than the legislature. Critics regard him as a politician who displaces a proven academic administrator.

The Senate of the FIU Faculty accepted a proposal before the vote, calling on the council to keep the current president, the longtime FIU administrator Kenneth Jassel, and issued a statement calling for the potential hiring of Núñez “frightened”. Noel K. Barego, chairman of the Senate of the Faculty, was a member of the board who voted against hiring.

At a press conference on Friday morning, Union said that Nunes did not remain today. He said that FIU’s position was a job he wanted and that he supported her in the pursuit of the post.

“I think FIU has the opportunity to really expand its horizons,” Roanis said. “They have done a good job, but I think you will see them take even more steam with it at the forefront.”

On Friday’s email to FIU employees, teachers and students, a load called the chance to hire Ninws “unique opportunity” for the school.

“I personally had conversations with both President Jassel and Lieutenant Nunes and together we think that this is a good time to start the transition of leadership,” he writes. “It is difficult to overestimate the importance of President Jessel’s contribution to our university. President Jassel, who has been in the last year of his contract, has run this university for the last three years with distinction, dedication and professionalism. Our recent unprecedented success was held under his leadership. “

Many FIU students and FIUs opposed the hiring of Núñez during the one -minute speaking time, which the board released for a public comment on the meeting. None of the public supports the Governor’s governor during the meeting. Orators against Núñez cites her support for raising government training for students who grew up in the United States after being brought to the country illegally-group young immigrants known as “dreamers” by supporters.

“Fiu deserves better than a DESANTIS Woman a dangerous agenda,” said student Cassandra Tasail.

Jessel became president in 2022, when he was promoted by the Chief Financial Officer of the Council after the sharp departure of then -President Mark Rosenberg because of the alleged progress to a school employee.

Jessel’s three -year contract as a president, a publication worth about $ 1 million in compensation, appeared in November. He plans to resume his role in a FIU senior leadership team as Chief Administrative Officer, said a load of one -hour online meeting on Friday, called to hire Ninws.

While the load said the official search process would begin to find a constant replacement for Jessel, the discussion suggests that Nunes was hired as a long -term choice of board. Board member Dean Kollson said he supported Núñez’s appointment because he predicted that FIU would be “thriving in the next decade under our new leadership team.”

Later, he proposed a load to insist on changes to the state rules requiring an official and expensive process of searching for permanent presidents of Florida universities when the governor had already decided his choice.

“You can’t help but wonder what happens in two years when we will have a new governor – are they involved in the work that a new governor may want to fill in during his transition or the first few years of service? “Said Kollson, a former FIU chairman. “More attached to FIU makes us go through time and cost of full demand when we move from intermediate to a permanent president. This seems like a lot of time and money that needs to be spent when the likely search results are already known. “

The hiring of FIU of Núñez clears the way for the term limited by the term desantis to appoint another lieutenant governor as he ruled a Republican uprising in the legislature and decides who to support as his successor in the Governor’s race in 2026 as Governor Resantis and exerts influence in the University System of Florida.

Supporters of Núñez’s efforts have identified her hiring as a fund for FIU to capture their fair share of state funding from Florida legislation to comply with the growing academic reputation of the school.

52-year-old Nunes was a rising star in Talahasi before Desanis select her as his partner in 2018, giving her a four-time Florida Florida House member high-profile perch in state policy for the next seven years.

It carries extensive ties in both Talahasi and Miami-Dad, where he works as a head of governmental relations for both Jackson’s hospital system and HCA, a private hospital operator. She received a bachelor’s and master’s degree at FIU and is the mother of two FIU graduates, according to the University reports. Núñez has a master’s degree in public administration and has previously worked as an assistant professor at FIU, according to the University website.

She also accepts FIU leadership as the suburban school is reported in President Donald Trump’s future presidential library. Trump’s local lawyer, Felix Lasarte, toured FIU’s main campus last month as part of efforts to establish facts about a library site, and the school issued a statement under Jessel saying that it would be welcome to be considered for a review for Every president’s library.

The meeting ended with Jassel, suffocating the emotion, saying that he supported Ninws.

“I have complete confidence in the Governor’s governor,” he said. “I look forward to supporting her.”

Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau reporter Roma Ellenbogen has contributed to this report.