Florida’s Lieutenant Governor Jeannette Nunez was elected interim president of Florida International University, her alma mater, in a Friday morning board of trustees meeting that seemed to be scheduled on the down low.
Current President Kenneth Jessell has almost until the end of the year left on his contract while Nunez has another two years to her term with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
So why this and why now?
The university’s board, members who were all DeSantis appointees, gave no indication until the chair seemed to say the quiet part out loud.
Nunez will be the first alum to lead the university with unmatched state connections. The board chair calls her a product of what the school is all about.
FIU is all about providing a world class education and opportunities for a population of students who might not get that elsewhere. That includes currently about 300 undocumented students known as dreamers, who are confused about why Nunez supports ending their in-state tuition that she so passionately fought for as a state rep 10 years ago.
The board vote to make Nunes FIU’s president would have been unanimous but for one “no” vote. That was from Noel Barengo, the senate faculty president, who joined This Week in South Florida host Glenna Milberg to discuss, and their conversation can be seen at the top of this page.
