A Message from the Chairman

To the Florida Atlantic community,

Welcome to this exciting academic year at Florida Atlantic University! This year marks the beginning of another chapter in the incredible history of our institution, and as of today, we are celebrating the largest enrollment on record. Final numbers will be available after the drop/add period ends today, but it is already abundantly clear that our Owl community is growing! The campus is buzzing, housing is fully occupied, classes are up and running, and I could not be more excited to see what great things our students, faculty, and staff will accomplish this year.

Throughout this Fall and into the Spring 2025 semester, we will be searching for the next president of Florida Atlantic University, and I will continue to update you periodically on our progress. Earlier this week, the Chair of the Search Committee, Trustee Sherry Murphy, announced the schedule for an extensive series of listening sessions set to occur on Aug. 29, Sept. 5 – 6, and Sept. 9.  For full information on the times and locations for these events, please visit the Presidential Search website. The search committee wants to hear from you, so I encourage you to attend as many of these sessions as possible.

Over the summer when I announced the members of the Presidential Search Committee, I also said that I would announce a group of individual faculty advisors who would serve as a conduit between the broader faculty body and the search committee, providing the opportunity for robust faculty input on the qualities we are seeking in our next president. I am happy to announce the 10 faculty members who have agreed to serve:  

  • Associate Professor Chris Beetle, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
  • Professor Victoria Brown, College of Education
  • Associate Professor Morgan Cooley, College of Social Work and Criminal Justice
  • Professor Borko Furht, College of Engineering and Computer Science
  • Professor Terje Hill, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
  • Professor Cheryl Jarvis, College of Business
  • Professor David Newman, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
  • Assistant Professor Stacy Rubin, Schmidt College of Medicine
  • Assistant Professor Jermaine Scott, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
  • Director and Associate Professor William Trapani, Faculty Senate President-Elect

  At this early stage in the process, Chair Murphy has asked these individual faculty advisors to encourage attendance and participation at the listening sessions and to play a leadership role in those sessions by asking questions of the campus attendees, getting conversations started, and facilitating a robust discussion. I know that this fall semester will be extremely busy for all our faculty members engaged in teaching, research, and service, so I want to thank these faculty members for their willingness to play a role in giving everyone on campus an opportunity to have their voices heard.

With that goal in mind, for anyone who would like to provide input on the search in writing, please visit the Presidential Search website and click on the link titled Stakeholder Input, where you can provide your thoughts on the priorities the next president should address; the leadership capabilities, professional experiences, qualifications, and personal characteristics the next president should possess; obstacles to success and most pressing challenges; and the most compelling aspects of Florida Atlantic University. The website also includes the email address for submitting nominations to the search firm. Please take the time to visit the website, review the calendar of events, and give the committee your thoughts or nominate a candidate.

This is an amazing time to be at Florida Atlantic, so welcome back, and GO OWLS!

Piero Bussani
 Chair, Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees