TALLAHASSY, Fla. (AP) — Florida Lt. Col. Janet Nunez has been appointed interim president of Florida International University. Ron Desantis An opportunity to lift allies to strong positions ahead of the governor’s race in 2026.
Announced Friday’s appointment, Roger Toval, chairman of the FIU Council, said he contacted Desantis’s office directly about tapping Nunez and later had multiple conversations with her.
“She has worked in the Florida State Legislature and in her days she can’t defend FIU more than her graduate as lieutenant governor,” Toval said.
the Latest Shake Up The state’s top offices are as a Florida Republican gains employment since President Donald Trump’s administration and another chance to solidify his influence long after DeSantis spent time at the governor’s mansion. In the holder.
The appointment to replace Nuñez allowed DeSantis to give his chosen successor an edge when multiple Trump allies were rumoured to be eyeing the governor’s run.
Under the influence of Desantis, the board, tasked with hiring presidents of state public universities and universities, More and more Republican politicians are choosing Allied with his conservative agenda – patterns he has Many students and professors were wary.
Select Desantis’ Desantis’s Deputy Commander for the President’s Post – Usually, Six-figure salary And luxury on-campus housing is the latest and most clear example of the governor’s impact on higher education.
Nunez is expected to take over the interim job leading his hometown of Miami public university on February 17th, and is expected to acquire a permanent position following the formal search process.
With over 56,000 students, FIU is one of the largest universities in the country and serves a significant population of Hispanic, first-generation, and low-income students.
Nunez will replace President Kenneth Jessel, who spent his career as a finance professor and university administrator, resigning early in the contract, ending in November.
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Kate Payne is a legion of the Associated Press/America Statehouse News Initiative report. American Report It is a non-profit, national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms and reports on secret issues.
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