Please feel free to share this petition far and wide. This
is certainly a national if not international issue as FSU stakeholders live all
over the world, and the nation is watching what is happening here in
Tallahassee.
In fact, it appears that there's a politician epidemic in
higher education these days. Nebraska governor Dave Heineman applied for the
University of Nebraska President position today.[1][2] Howard L. Hawks, Chairman of the University
of Nebraska Board of Regents, issued a statement today that I think everyone
should read.[3] What struck me immediately was the following:
"Our immediate focus is on attracting a deep, rich and
diverse pool of applicants from throughout the country. It would be most
unfortunate for the citizens of the state if any particular person's interest
in the position resulted in undermining the legitimacy of the search and kept
any highly qualified individuals from applying for the presidency.
Let me be very clear. This is a fair and competitive process
and the Board of Regents seeks and welcomes the candidacy of any person,
including the governor, who believes he or she has the qualifications and
experiences necessary to effectively lead the University of Nebraska. Our
objective is to seek, vet, and hire the most qualified candidate."
Too bad the FSU Board of Trustees Chair Allan Bense and the
FSU Presidential Search Advisory Committee Chair Ed Burr do not seem to agree.
