<p>It looks like the Florida Board of Governors will select a new chancellor for Florida's state universities tomorrow. The board's search committee will interview in Tampa tomorrow morning the 3 finalists (finalist Snyder form Indiana withdrew his name last night). After interviewing the 3 an hour each, the committee will huddle and select one candidate to recommend to full board. The Board of Governors are scheduled to do a phone conference meeting at 4pm and select chancellor. Everything I see points to Brogan getting the job.</p>
<p>This whole deal is about as political as can be. There must be a better way to operate Florida's state university system.</p>
<p>Finalist McNamara bailed out last night withdrawing his name. Only two candidates left as of now to interview: Chu and Brogan. Should be a short meeting.</p>
<p>There is nothing “bad” about Frank Brogan; it’s just that, despite him serving as an administrator in various roles in Florida education the past 30 years (many elected positions), he is first and foremost a politician. The Florida state university system today is a fractured system where each university has to fend for itself. Ideally Florida state universities would maybe be better served with a true educator in the chancellor position, rather than a politician like Brogan.</p>
<p>The way the Florida Board of Governors is set up now though–being so political, putting an educator in the chancellor position would have been like putting a square peg in a round hole. Brogan was the round peg who was a lock for getting the job.</p>
<p>In an editorial on Friday, the St. Petersburg Times said, the fix appears to be in for Brogan to become chancellor. The editorial continues, it was [Jeb] Bush and Brogan who pushed the plan to abolish the Board of Regents that oversaw state universities and allow the governor to appoint boards of trustees for each of the universities. The result is that the university system is not really a system at all but 11 fiefdoms engaged in an arms race to add duplicative programs even as they compete for fewer tax dollars. But during the interview, Brogan downplayed his role.</p>
<p>Just look on this FSU board what is happening with the Hurricane Center and the duplication with UCF.
It just goes on and on with no end in sight.
Except of course the bottom of our wallets.</p>