The Florida Board of Governors issued a vote of no confidence in Florida Atlantic University’s Board of Trustees chairperson Wednesday, faulting the university leader for a series of procedural mishaps tied to the school’s search for a new president.
The vote to censure Brad Levine – the latest escalation of tensions between the governors and FAU’s leaders – came after the state board declined to sign off on a contract extension for interim FAU President Stacy Volnick.
The governors, an appointed body that oversees the state’s public universities, said they approved of Volnick’s performance but feared that the trustees’ decision to extend her appointment in November without posting her full contract on a meeting agenda may have run afoul of the state’s open meetings laws.
Vote about FAU chair has no practical effect
That concern, coupled with the state’s conclusion in December that last year’s aborted presidential search also violated the open meetings law, led some governors to place blame on Levine, who also headed the search committee.