In June 2022, John Kelly announced his resignation as Florida Atlantic University’s president in a “special letter to the FAU community.” Nineteen months later, the stability that Kelly had brought for eight-plus years has given way to uncertainty.
FAU still has no permanent successor to Kelly. During Wednesday’s Board of Governors meeting, FAU still may get no direction as to when a new search can start.
In December, the board voided the search that last July had produced three qualified finalists. The new search can’t begin, however, until the board rewrites policies that the previous search committee allegedly violated.
But those changes aren’t scheduled for a vote on Wednesday. According to the agenda, State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues “will provide an update” on the FAU search. The only relevant vote scheduled is to extend the contract of Interim President Stacy Volnick. She has had the job for the last year, when Kelly’s resignation took effect, and the extension could keep her as interim through this year.
Why is this taking so long? How has FAU’s proposed dental school become a part of the presidential search?
Based on my reporting over the last year, a plausible narrative has emerged which involves a lot of politics, within FAU and in Tallahassee. Here it is:
The road to FAU’s dental school
One month before Kelly announced his resignation, Brad Levine became chair of FAU’s board of trustees. Levine had served on the board since 2018, having been appointed by then-Gov. Rick Scott. Gov. DeSantis also appointed Levine to the Florida Blockchain Task Force.
Upon becoming chairman, Levine declared that he wanted FAU to prioritize “academic medicine.” Sources have told me that, in Levine’s opinion, Kelly either didn’t share that priority or consider it as urgent.
Kelly was vague about his reasons for leaving. He would assume a new position—university president emeritus. This new role would “afford me the time and flexibility to complete certain projects…” He listed no specific projects.
In September 2021, FAU’s trustees rated Kelly’s performance as “Exceptional.” Kelly had received the same rating in 2020. He arrived just as the Board of Governors began tying state money to metrics. Kelly had made changes to position FAU in that new political environment.
Between May and September 2022, the trustees held six meetings for which “FAU Health Discussions” were on the agendas. These discussions aligned with Levine’s wish for FAU to focus on “academic medicine” and show that the focus intensified after Kelly announced his resignation.
In September 2022, the trustees approved a request for money from the Legislature to establish a dental school at FAU. The idea for the school had arisen only that summer and had gone directly to the trustees without Faculty Senate review. Records show that the Board of Governors, which oversees the university system, fast-tracked the proposal.
Yet the board previously had rejected similar proposals from the University of Central Florida in Orlando and Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. Though FAU claimed that its school would address a dentist shortage, studies showed that the shortage in this area was not acute.
In October 2021, Jeffrey Feingold had died. He had been an FAU trustee. DeSantis appointed his wife, Barbara Feingold, to succeed him. Like her husband, she has donated to Republicans and Republican causes. She gave $100,000 toward DeSantis’ failed presidential campaign.
Barbara Feingold pledged $30 million toward the dental school. A rendering showed that it would be named for Jeffrey Feingold, a dentist who founded MCNA Dental. The chronology suggests that the dental school proposal arose more as a priority for Barbara Feingold rather than from FAU. It arose as Kelly was announcing his resignation.
Last year, the Legislature allocated $30 million for construction and other one-time costs of the school and another $10 million toward operating costs. This year, FAU wants $131.6 million for the school in four budget requests. Berg said the school would open in 2027.
As I reported, FAU in 2022 hired Joel Berg as its consultant on the dental school. I reported that Berg resigned as dean of the dental school at the University of Washington when it was running an operating deficit of $36 million. Berg also agreed to pay a $4,000 fine for violating state ethics rules while dean.
In its original proposal, FAU noted that potential $30 million from Barbara Feingold. After the presidential search was suspended, however, Feingold suggested that her donation depended on who became president.
As a member of the search committee, Feingold said, she did not support any of the three finalists. I’m told that she preferred State Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, who at one time was DeSantis’ stated choice.
Spokesmen for the Board of Governors have provided few details since last summer. Feingold has declined requests for media interviews. I had questions for FAU about how Berg was hired, what he is getting paid and whether the revelations about his time in Washington state undercut his credibility as a consultant and the potential viability of the dental school.
Berg asked that I send questions to FAU’s media relations office. I did so on Jan. 11. Last Thursday, having not heard back, I emailed to ask if responses would be coming. Again, I heard nothing. On Monday, I emailed Josh Glanzer, director of media relations. I also left a voicemail on his office and cell phones. He did not respond to any of them.
I’ll have more after the Board of Governors meeting.
Fees for lawyers behind conversion therapy ban suit
Lawyers who successfully fought Boca Raton over the city’s ban on conversion therapy wanted $2.2 million from the city in fees. A federal judge gave them much less.
Relying on the report from a magistrate, Robin Rosenberg awarded the lawyers $736,200. Two plaintiffs had challenged the 2017 ban, claiming it prevented them from using the discredited practice of seeking to “cure” homosexuality.
The city prevailed at trial before Rosenberg, but a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the plaintiffs on First Amendment grounds. Lawyers for the Liberty Counsel, which defended the plaintiffs, said they would appeal and seek even higher fees than the $2.2 million. The city paid $50,000 and $25,000 to the plaintiffs.
More Brightline in Boca?
Brightline’s Boca Raton station has been open for barely a year, and already the city wants more.
During Monday’s city council workshop meeting, Mayor Scott Singer said Boca Raton officials are talking with Brightline about a second platform for the station. Singer said it would allow more trains to stop in Boca Raton.
Brightline built the station. The city spent roughly $10 million on the parking garage. City Manager George Brown said federal grants might be available to pay for the added platform.
Boca PD mourns loss of 20-year veteran
There’s sad news out of the Boca Raton Police Department.
According to the department’s Facebook page, a 20-year veteran just died of cancer. Lauren Kreese was 44. She had worked in the training unit and served in the department’s honor guard. “We will miss Lauren every day around the department,” the post says, “but find comfort knowing we have a warrior guardian angel looking out for us.”
