The search resulted in over 60 applications for the position, 12 of which were sitting or former university presidents, another dozen or more senior university administrators, and other candidates with varying degrees of alternative backgrounds. I have been honored to be included in this group.ĭick Schmidt is a member of the FAU presidential selection committee. The search committee included a broad-based representation of FAU stakeholders, including representatives of the faculty, students, administration, outside educators and donors, all of the highest pedigrees. To effect this outrageous suspension of search activities, the chancellor of the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system, has accused the presidential search committee of improper activity in its search process based on wholly inaccurate and out of context actions. If correct, these reports would indicate a continuing trend of meddling in the state university and state college presidential searches to award these important positions to favored politicians, as has been reported in the most recent searches at the University of Florida, New College of Florida, and South Florida State College. Numerous press reports suggest that the motive for this interference is that the university committee empowered to conduct the search did not include the governor’s reported personal selection for the position among the three outstanding candidates put forward to the school’s board of trustees for nomination to the position. This has never been more clear than this past week, when it appears that political influence may have pressured the State University System Board of Governors to halt the search process for the next president of Florida Atlantic University. The intersection of politics and academia is at the same time both fragile and dangerous. “His agenda is tailored to the needs of Republican. “Not a single part of his agenda that passed is helping Floridians,” she said. She and other Democrats have pointed out problems such as soaring insurance premiums and a spike in housing costs that go unsolved. “That’s not going to happen,” Eskamani said.Įskamani said DeSantis also has put personal politics first with culture war laws such as sexual orientation in schools, banning gay-themed books and drag shows, and making it harder for unions to collect dues. But it is not likely anyone would even suggest trying to override the veto because of the governor’s immense grip on Tallahassee. The bill passed both chambers of the Legislature with just a single no vote, by Rep. His staff didn’t respond to a request to explain the veto. So we want to make sure we have the infrastructure in place to make that a reality.” “And so as technology evolves, we hope that that’ll be reflected in people’s pocketbooks. “It’s amazing how much cheaper it is to just charge a vehicle than to fill up a gas tank,” DeSantis said at the time. It was only a few years ago that DeSantis touted the benefits of electric cars at a news conference announcing the construction of EV charging stations at rest stops along Florida’s Turnpike. “The Florida Legislature saw the clear economic and taxpayer benefits of a modern and efficient state fleet, but Gov. “This veto is a baffling decision that will cost Florida taxpayers millions of dollars,” Weiss said. Using the state’s vehicle data provided by the Department of Management Services, they conducted a total cost analysis of the state’s fleet. The law could have saved state and local governments $277 million over 15 years by adding more electric vehicles to their fleets, said Michael Weiss, the Florida state lead at Advanced Energy United, a trade association of clean energy companies.Īdvanced Energy United and the Electrification Coalition calculated the bill would have saved governments an average of $18,000 per vehicle by switching to an all-electric vehicle fleet, Weiss said. Jeff Brandes, a Tampa Bay Republican who tried getting similar legislation through last year. There is nothing in this bill that any person in America should be against,” said former Sen. “It was a common sense, good governance bill.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |