The Presidential Search Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, May 21,
at 11:00am in 208 Turnbull. I normally wouldn’t pass along rumors, but I’ve
heard a disturbing report that a certain controversial politician has been
meeting with FSU administrators about the job of president; however, I have not been
able to independently confirm this information yet. This information, though,
is leading some to think that “something” is going to happen at tomorrow’s
meeting. I know this sounds way too general for those of us who value specific,
verifiable evidence, but I do want to encourage faculty members and others to attend tomorrow’s
meeting whether you believe the rumor or not because a) we need to show the
search committee and search firm that we are watching and we are indeed an important
stakeholder in this process and b) if something does happen, it would be best to
have faculty members in the room as witnesses to what I suspect is at best a
questionable search. If we want an open, transparent, and honest search, as was
promised to us by the search committee chair and the Board of Trustees[1][2], then
we need to be sure to hold the chair and the BOT accountable. The faculty
members on the committee are doing what they can, but as only 4 of 27 people on the committee,
they could certainly use our support by our attendance at the meeting tomorrow. Search Chair Ed Burr was asked to consider adding public comment to tomorrow's agenda since the public comment for the last meeting wasn't publicized, but he has twice said no. So I do think being there will be important even if we do not have a formal opportunity to speak.
