Florida Atlantic University on Monday picked a former Republican lawmaker as its leader in what is the latest example of a public university in the state picking someone with a political background over experienced academic leaders.
The board of trustees of the university in Boca Raton picked Adam Hasner to be the school's next president following a lengthy and controversial search process that resulted in FAU tossing out its initial slate of finalists.
Hasner’s start date is pending confirmation by the university system’s Board of Governors.
“My primary focus will always be on our students — ensuring that we are providing them with the best possible opportunities for success, both during their time at Florida Atlantic and beyond," Hasner said in a news release. "I have proudly championed Florida Atlantic for many years, and I am excited to continue advocating for its academic excellence and pioneering research."
The announcement comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis works to expand his influence on education in the state.
State officials called off the school's previous presidential search after Republican state Sen. Randy Fine, then-aligned with DeSantis, was not named as a finalist in 2023.
Throughout that process, faculty members raised red flags about the potential for political interference. Then-Attorney General Ashley Moody determined the search violated the Florida Sunshine Law, which requires transparency.
The board selected another 15-member search committee in June, and Hasner, a former Republican majority leader in the Florida House, emerged as a finalist.
Now a vice president at Boca Raton-based private prison company GEO Group, Hasner beat out two academics for the role: Michael Hartline, dean of Florida State University's College of Business, and John Volin, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Maine.
Hasner, 55, argued his experience representing Palm Beach County in the Capitol gave him an edge over the university administrators, saying a president's top responsibility is to be their school's “top lobbyist.”
“If you're coming from the outside and you're trying to get to know the Florida legislative process or the regulatory process in Florida, it's going to take somebody years to be able to do that. I can hit the ground running on Day One,”said Hasner, a lawyer who was in the state House from 2002 to 2010, and was majority leader from 2007 to 2010.
Hasner's appointment came over the concerns of some students and faculty members who questioned his political background, his lack of experience in higher education and his work for GEO Group, which stands to profit from President Donald Trump's push for mass deportations.
The College Democrats at FAU last week organized a protest against his candidacy.
"We know that an extreme right wing candidate isn't good for the educational and research prospects of FAU students and their faculty," FAU junior Nicholas Ostheimer told WLRN at the protest. "Because they don't know how to run a university properly and they're far more preoccupied with their partisan right-wing culture war agenda than they are with what's actually in the best interest of the university community."
Hasner also had supporters. Some held up signs proclaiming "Adam Hasner will keep campus safe” and “Jewish students support Adam Hasner.”
FAU cited Hasner's 30 years of experience in public service, business strategy and policy advocacy. A Palm Beach County native, Hasner helped establish FAU’s medical school and sponsored a bill to authorize a doctor of medicine program.
He also sponsored legislation in 2006 and 2008 that laid the foundation for FAU’s Office of the Ocean Economy and played a role in securing $43 million for its College of Engineering building.
“I look forward to working with President Hasner to continue Florida Atlantic’s amazing trajectory,” board Chair Piero Bussani said in a statement.
FAU, which serves more than 31,000 students, has been without a permanent president for more than two years, after John Kelly stepped down in December 2022. Stacy Volnick has been serving as interim president since then.
A week ago, trustees voted to boost the total compensation for the job to between $1 million and $1.5 million.
Hasner's pick comes just days after Florida International University in Miami announced it's tapping Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez — DeSantis' second-in-command — to be that school's interim president, without conducting a public search.
WLRN's Natalie La Roche Pietri and WUSF's Rick Mayer contributed to this report.