Update on FIU presidential search

The following message from FIU Board of Trustees Vice-Chair and FIU Presidential Search Committee Chair Carlos A. Duart was shared with the university community on Thursday, May 8, 2025: 

Dear members of the university community,
 
Over the past several weeks, the Presidential Search Committee has identified and interviewed candidates interested in becoming FIU’s seventh president. We are now ready to move into the public and final phase of the process.
 
After a thorough review and interview process, the Presidential Search Committee selected three finalists for recommendation to the FIU Board of Trustees. The three finalists included a sitting president and sitting provost at other institutions, as well as FIU’s Interim President Jeanette M. Nuñez.
 
Two of the finalists indicated that they would only move to the public phase of the search process if selected as the lone candidate. As a result, these two finalists withdrew their candidacy. Given her proven record of leadership and unique qualifications, the Committee unanimously agreed to move Interim President Nuñez forward as its sole finalist for consideration by the FIU Board of Trustees.
 
Since her appointment in February, Interim President Nuñez has worked tirelessly with great enthusiasm and passion and a firm commitment to our students and the overall success of FIU. Guided by FIU’s strategic plan, Experience Impact 2030, she has engaged meaningfully with our students, faculty, staff, and community, focusing on improving the student experience, ensuring research excellence, and establishing and strengthening strategic alliances.
 
Our university is central to Interim President Nuñez’s life and that of her family. She is a proud double alumna, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations in 1994 and a master’s degree in public administration in 1998. She is also a proud Panther parent and former adjunct faculty member, having taught a graduate-level course on health policy and serving as a guest lecturer over the years.
 
Before coming home to FIU, Interim President Nuñez spent 15 years serving the State of Florida – both as a State Representative and as Lieutenant Governor. Before serving in government, she was Vice President of Governmental Affairs at Jackson Health Systems and held similar leadership positions at Kendall Regional and Aventura Hospital Medical Center.
 
Interim President Nuñez’s distinguished career and commitment to further cement FIU’s position as a leader in higher education in Florida and across the country make her an excellent leader for FIU at this pivotal point in our university’s journey.
 
As we enter the next phase of the presidential search process, which will be public, we invite our university community to actively participate.
 
On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, a series of open forums will be held at FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus. At these forums, our FIU community will have opportunities to interact directly with Interim President Nuñez, ask questions, and share ideas. We will share the schedule of the open forums in the coming days. Please visit the Presidential Search website for updates. I hope you will attend at least one of the sessions.
 
Also on the website is a survey designed to gather feedback from the community about important attributes of the next president of FIU, as well as general input on the direction of the university. Please take a moment to complete the survey.
 
The FIU Board of Trustees will meet at 9 a.m. on Monday, June 2, 2025, for an on-campus interview of the candidate and to consider the feedback from the university community shared at the forums and through the survey. This public meeting will take place in the Graham Center Ballrooms. Given the limited seating capacity, the FIU community can also attend virtually via the University’s webcast. 
 
It is a great honor to serve as Chair of the Presidential Search Committee, which has brought together an outstanding group of individuals whose commitment to FIU is unparalleled. I am grateful to each committee member for their diligence and dedication to this process. I also want to thank Funk Associates, our search consultant, for assisting us in this process. To our FIU community members, thank you for your contributions and feedback. I encourage you to remain engaged as we enter this final phase of the search process. 
 
Today, FIU is a Top 50 public university, a preeminent institution, and one of the largest research universities in the country.
 
We look forward to our extraordinary future with FIU’s seventh President.
 
Paws Up!

Carlos A. Duart
Chair, FIU Presidential Search Committee
Vice-Chair, FIU Board of Trustees