BUZZ
The Florida Board of Governors on Wednesday voted to approve Stuart Bell as president of the University of Florida despite criticisms lodged against him.
Some education watchdogs had questioned whether the former University of Alabama leader was the right pick for the job, noting he founded Alabama’s DEI office in 2017, hired its first chief diversity officer, and told staff in recent years that cuts to DEI would be in name only.
As The College Fix previously reported, while Bell closed UA’s DEI office, he opened a new Division of Opportunities, Connections and Success led by Christine Taylor, who formerly led the university’s DEI division. Some argued the move simply allowed DEI to operate under different names.
But Bell addressed the issue directly during the meeting Wednesday, saying “I’m not coming to Florida to bring DEI or woke back to the state of Florida,” Higher Ed Dive reported.
The vote was 15 to 1, Florida Politics reported.
A news release from the University of Florida touted the selection, noting “Dr. Bell previously served for a decade as president of the University of Alabama, where he led record growth in research, student success and fundraising.”
MORE: U. Florida’s presidential finalist boasted about injecting DEI into classes
