Florida Board of Governors

After online debates, delays and Bell's appointment as interim president, UF has a full time leader again.

It's been a whirlwind week in the search for a new president of the University of Florida.

Stuart Bell's tenure as interim president starts July 1.

Stuart Bell was the former president of the University of Alabama. He also served as the president of the Southeastern Conference from 2023 to 2025.

Stuart Bell is not new to academia. He's the former president of the University of Alabama, where he held that position for 10 years before his departure last summer.

Bell previously served as President of the University of Alabama, holding the position for 10 years before his departure last summer.

Earlier this week, the Florida Board of Governors passed a year-long ban on H1B Visa hires of new employees for Florida public universities.

The panel that runs public universities in Florida is set to meet Monday to approve a one-year ban on hiring new foreign faculty through the H1-B visa system — a move critics said could harm research and education in the state.

The only finalist for the next president of the University of Florida, Santa Ono, spoke to faculty, students and staff at three separate forums at Emerson Alumni Hall on Tuesday.

On March 1, UF sent out a memo announcing it was closing the office of the Chief Diversity Officer, eliminating 13 DEI positions and 15 administrative appointments.