The state university system Board of Governors on Wednesday confirmed Devin Stephenson to become the second president of Florida Polytechnic University, as President Randy Avent prepares to leave the post.
The Florida Poly Board of Trustees selected Stephenson on April 15 and later approved a three-year contract that includes a base salary of $490,000. Stephenson, the president of Northwest Florida State College, is set to take over at Florida Poly on July 7, the day after Avent steps down.
While the Florida Poly trustees selected Stephenson, he also needed confirmation from the university system Board of Governors.
Before he received final approval Wednesday, Stephenson expressed goals of growing enrollment at Florida Poly, expanding its infrastructure, improving student success and bolstering fundraising.
Stephenson also was asked about his position on campus free-speech issues.
“We’ve been talking a lot here about free speech and civil discourse for about five years. It’s something that we take very seriously here in Florida,” Board of Governors member Tim Cerio said.
Cerio pointed to pro-Palestinian campus protests. “Campuses are on fire around the country. I wanted to know if you’ve had a chance to review our state university system’s statement of free expression, and if so, if you subscribe to it,” Cerio asked.
Stephenson replied that he agrees with the university system’s stance on free speech.
“I am certainly a proponent of free speech but not lawlessness. I certainly believe that it’s important that we provide individuals an environment that they can freely speak, but not as a deterrent to the … educational process or the disruption of education,” Stephenson said.
Northwest Florida State College is preparing to launch a search for a successor to Stephenson. Avent is expected to return to the Florida Poly faculty after a sabbatical.
