Former lawmaker Adam Hasner—who once considered it a badge of honor to be called “the most partisan Republican in Tallahassee”—will be the next president of Florida Atlantic University.

Hasner, who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010 and is currently an executive at the GEO Group, a for-profit prison company, was hired Monday, bringing an end to a presidential search that began in January 2023. The initial search was scuttled in July 2023 after State University System chancellor Ray Rodrigues, another Republican former lawmaker, raised concerns about “anomalies” in the process. State officials later determined that FAU violated Florida Sunshine laws by anonymously ranking candidates in an effort to thin the applicant pool.

But critics have long alleged the search was upended because the board did not name state Republican lawmaker Randy Fine as a finalist. (Fine previously told Inside Higher Ed that Republican governor Ron DeSantis had assured him he would “waltz right in” to the FAU presidency.)

FAU’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to hire Hasner despite concerns from students and faculty about his past political rhetoric and lack of experience in higher education administration. His hire comes on the heels of a similar move at Florida International University, which called a special meeting on Friday to name Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez interim president.

A 2-Year Presidential Search

Hasner faced opposition from students, faculty and others at a series of forums that he and the other two presidential finalists—Michael Hartline, dean of the Florida State University College of Business; and John Volin, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Maine—participated in last week.

“Mr. Hasner, your record speaks far louder than your platitudes ever could, because the FAU student body needs a president, not a politician,” student Nick Ostheimer said at the forum featuring Hasner. “We want a selection, not a coronation. You’re here not because you’re a worthy finalist, but because of your allies in Tallahassee and on the Board of Governors.”

Ostheimer, who is president of the FAU College Democrats, then led a student walkout.

Critics also accused Hasner of being anti-Muslim, noting an instance in 2009, during his time as a legislator, when he boycotted a prayer by an imam in the Florida State House. Hasner denied that he is anti-Muslim and said he would make FAU a welcoming environment for all. He offered a similar response when others questioned whether he would stand up for marginalized groups, given the attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across Florida in recent years and nationally since Donald Trump’s inauguration last month.

Many critics also took aim at his current role with a for-profit prison company, which Hasner downplayed, noting that the GEO Group has worked with both Republican and Democratic administrations and that its actions are “pursuant to a contract with the government to carry out a specific mission.”

Faculty Senate president-elect Bill Trapani questioned whether Hasner would benefit FAU.

“I just wonder whether this is really good for us. It might be good for you? Is it good for us?” Trapani asked Friday.

While Hasner acknowledged he lacked experience in higher education, he touted his local ties and record in the Florida Legislature, including his work in helping secure legislative funding and approval for the launch of FAU’s College of Medicine, which welcomed its first class in fall 2011.

In a public interview Monday, which all three finalists participated in, Hasner pointed to examples of other politicians–turned–college presidents, including John Thrasher, a former Republican legislator who led Florida State University from 2014 to 2021, and former Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, who helmed Purdue University from 2013 to 2022. Hasner also said he had developed a relationship with Daniels and sought his advice.

During the interview, he sought to distance himself from former senator Marco Rubio’s proclamation that he was “the most partisan Republican in Tallahassee,” telling FAU’s Board of Trustees, “I am not involved in partisan politics.” While emphasizing his ability to work with the Florida Legislature, Hasner also told the board the job of president is neither “politically blue” nor “politically red.”

Despite the pointed opposition, the FAU Board of Trustees voted unanimously to hire Hasner, citing his connections to the community and proven ability to navigate Florida’s State House.

A Surprise Hire at FIU

While critics have long speculated that DeSantis has exerted heavy political influence on presidential hiring at Florida’s public universities, admissions of his direct involvement have been rare. But at FIU, trustees made clear that DeSantis was the one who steered the selection of Nuñez as interim president.

“The governor’s office has contacted me and suggested that we consider Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez as the next leader for FIU,” Board of Trustees chair Roger Tovar said during a Friday board meeting. “Subsequent to that, I have had several conversations with Lieutenant Governor Nuñez, who confirmed her interest in leading this great university, which happens to be her alma mater.”

Given Florida laws dictating presidential searches, Nuñez was appointed in an interim capacity. FIU will have to launch a formal search effort to comply with state guidelines, though Trustee Dean Colson suggested Friday that the “probable results of the search are already known.”

The governor’s involvement prompted the one vote against hiring Nuñez.

Noël Barengo, the faculty trustee on the board, expressed two concerns in his dissenting vote. First Barengo questioned the process, which involved replacing current president Kenneth Jessell, who is under contract through November. Now Jessell will step aside, into a vice president role, and Nuñez will officially take over as interim president next Monday.

Speaking as a trustee and president of FIU’s Faculty Senate, Barengo also expressed “deep concern” over “another effort by the governor’s office to interfere with public higher education.”

Multiple other speakers, including students and alumni, also offered their thoughts in the public comment portion of Friday’s special board meeting. Many raised concerns about Nuñez’s lack of a terminal degree and dearth of experience in higher education. Others pointed to her politics, noting that she advocated for in-state tuition for undocumented students in 2014, when she was in the Florida House of Representatives, but has since flip-flopped on the issue and called to repeal the law.

“FIU deserves better than a yes-woman for DeSantis’s dangerous agenda,” FIU student Kassandra Toussaint told the board in urging them to vote against hiring Nuñez.

A Florida Trend

Across the state, Republican politicians are increasingly being hired to lead public institutions.

Rodrigues, a former lawmaker, was hired to lead the State University System of Florida in 2022. He was soon followed by fellow Republican Ben Sasse, a U.S. senator from Nebraska, who served a brief stint as president of the University of Florida before resigning abruptly last fall.

Sasse was followed by a string of state lawmakers, including Richard Corcoran at New College of Florida, Fred Hawkins at South Florida State College and Mel Ponder at Northwest Florida State College. Torey Alston, a former DeSantis staffer whom the governor appointed to local government positions on two separate occasions, was named president of Broward College at the end of January. Of those hires, only Sasse had previous experience leading a higher education institution, dating back to his time as president of Midland College in Nebraska from 2010 to 2014.