Led by chair Jack Boyle and several members of the university’s Board of Trustees, the University of North Florida’s presidential search committee held its first meeting on March 31, outlining the transparency of UNF’s presidential search and the traits of the next university president.
Working with Funk Associates, a firm that recruits senior higher‑education leaders, the committee said it plans to assemble an unranked pool of highly qualified candidates and recommend a president who can strengthen UNF’s academic profile and regional reach.
What the committee is looking for
Funk Associates President Willie Funk asked committee members to identify the challenges the next president will inherit, the ideal candidate profile, and the “selling points” that would attract top passive candidates.
Chair of the UNF Foundation Board, Dwight Cooper, emphasized that the next leader must be innovative and lean into artificial intelligence (AI), as it transforms curriculum and workforce preparation.
Former Florida state senator and search committee member Rob Bradley commented that Moez Limayem, UNF’s last president, had clear goals and energy.
“We have to be who we are,” said Bradley. “Figure out who we are [and] own who we are.”
JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace wants the next president to address regional gaps, noting that the university currently ranks low in engineering and life sciences compared to other Florida metropolitan areas like Orlando and Tampa.
“It’s not enough for the Wall Street Journal to say that your region is the second hottest job market in the country with these numbers,” said Wallace.
As of 2026, UNF, according to U.S. News & World Report, ranks 141st in the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs category and 222nd in the National Universities category.
Open meetings and public records compliance
During the meeting, UNF Vice President and General Counsel Stone Karen Stone outlined Florida’s expansive transparency requirements for the UNF Presidential Search Committee under the state’s Sunshine Law. She and Boyle also reiterated the committee and BOT’s next steps in the presidential process.
According to Stone, any discussion of committee business between two or more members, whether conducted via text, email, or phone, triggers the state’s Sunshine Law. Members are also prohibited from discussing position qualifications or compensation outside officially noticed meetings.
Under Section 1004.098 of the Florida Statutes, identifying or vetting applicants for president is confidential and exempt from the public meetings requirements. Information about the candidates becomes public only after the BOT establishes a list of finalists.
In the semi-final stage of candidate selection, the committee will screen the applicant pool, interview semi-finalists, and publicly recommend unranked, qualified applicants to the BOT.
Stone then said that formal BOT interviews, open to the public, will be held 21 days after finalists are revealed.
Funk Associates involvement
Funk said the executive search firm will act as a proactive agent in the marketplace to recruit high-quality candidates and provide information about them, but all decisions and voting will be made by the committee.
“This is your search, and you will make every decision about who moves forward in this search,” said Funk to the committee. “We don’t have a vote. We don’t want to vote.”
Much of the firm’s work involves reaching out to successful candidates in their current roles and convincing them that UNF provides unique opportunities, according to Funk.
“The best people are happy where they are,” said Funk. “They want to know, ‘Why should I become an active candidate?”
Committee members can securely log in to review candidate CVs and cover letters through the firm’s website. After building the pool, Funk Associates will assist the committee in a “distillation meeting” in which they will help select approximately eight semifinalists for interviews.
Presidential search timeline
Committee listening sessions are scheduled for April 9, 10, and 14 as an opportunity for the UNF community to share their perspectives on the presidential search.
The listening session open to students will be held at noon on April 9 in the Talon Room on the 4th floor of the Osprey Commons.
Several listening sessions will be held for faculty and staff on all three days at the same location, with virtual and hybrid sessions.
The next presidential search committee meeting is April 21 at the University Center (Room 1027) from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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