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UF, FSU boards have big names
By BARRY KLEIN and ALISA ULFERTS
© St. Petersburg Times, The state's two oldest universities got new governing boards Wednesday, and both of them are stocked with high-powered business executives, former presidents and influential alums. The board of trustees at the University of Florida includes former President Marshall Criser Jr., the widow of former President Stephen C. O'Connell, the CEO of Burger King and Al Warrington IV, a Gator booster whose name was etched onto UF's business school after he handed over a multimillion-dollar gift. The board announced Wednesday for Florida State University also has plenty of wattage. It includes former President Stanley Marshall, former state Supreme Court Justice Alan Sundberg and John Thrasher, the FSU alum who made sure his alma mater got a new medical school before he stepped down last year as speaker of the Florida House. Gov. Jeb Bush, who made all of the appointments, was asked during a Tallahassee news conference whether it was fair to Florida's other universities to put a political heavyweight such as Thrasher on FSU's board. Bush said he didn't know how much influence a former speaker might have on state lawmakers. But, in any case, he said, the new seven-member state Board of Education -- which he also appointed -- will ensure that no school receives favored status. In Gainesville, Lt. Gov Frank Brogan said the 13-member UF board would bring "a diverse set of talent and skills" to the state's top research institution. It also will bring a sizable dollop of political conservatism to a campus with a long tradition of liberal activism. Nine of the 10 Florida residents appointed to UF's board are Republicans. The trustees' political affiliation isn't what bothers Joseph Layon, a former chairman of UF's faculty senate and a fierce critic of the education overhaul that led to the board's creation. He is angry that Bush did not keep his promise to include prominent academics. Last month, UF faculty members sent Bush's staff the names of two dozen professors and administrators. Not one was appointed, Layon said. "The governor keeps saying he wants nationally known educators, academics of real prominence," Layon said. "He says the words, but his actions say otherwise." FSU's board is more eclectic. It includes Erich Bloch, who received the National Medal of Technology for innovations in computer science, and Stanley Marshall, a former FSU president and founder of the James Madison Institute, a Tallahassee think tank that promotes limited government, traditional values and personal responsibility. The board also includes at least four Democrats, more than on any announced so far except for the panel that will govern historically black Florida A&M University. One of the FSU Democrats is Alan Sundberg, a former state Supreme Court justice who later served as the university's general counsel. Another is Stephen Uhlfelder, a Tallahassee lawyer and longtime member of the state Board of Regents. Uhlfelder is one of a handful of Regents who got a seat on a university board. As part of the Republican-led overhaul of higher education, the Regents will be formally abolished next week, with their powers split between the trustees and the state Board of Education. Bush has been criticized for the racial makeup of some of the boards, especially at the University of South Florida, where no African-Americans from the Tampa Bay area were appointed. FSU's board has at least two African-Americans. UF's has at least one African-American and two Hispanics. Four of the trustees live out of state, and their race could not be determined Wednesday. Recent coveragehttp://www.sptimes.com/News/062601/TampaBay/Bush_names_USF_truste.shtml (June 26, 2001)
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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