With President Rhea Law stepping down soon, USF’s search is on to find a candidate who will assume the next presidential role. 

“I firmly believe that USF’s best days are ahead, and we look forward to providing you with updates as we progress,” wrote Will Weatherford, a USF Board of Trustees (BOT) chairman, in a campus wide email on Thursday. 

But are USF’s “best days” truly on the horizon? 

Related: Rhea Law’s resignation announcement comes at a tumultuous time at USF

Or will we be the next Florida university to fall in line with the trend of selecting former Republican politicians with little to no academic backgrounds for presidential roles?

Most recently, the Board of Governors selected Adam Hasner, an attorney and former member of the Florida House of Representatives to serve as Florida Atlantic University’s president. 

Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez was also tapped to take over as interim university president at Florida International University. She was picked following a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to the Associated Press.

If the 15-member search committee in charge of the presidential search cares about the future of USF, they will choose a different path. Otherwise, USF may be heading toward a harmful environment for both students, faculty and the mission of a well-rounded education. 

Richard Manning, USF philosophy professor and executive officer of USF’s faculty senate, gave an idea of what the university may look like if it welcomes someone with a certain political background, namely a conservative politician.

“USF may become less welcoming of diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds,” Manning said. “They may become more and more hostile to humanities and social sciences. Cracking down on student organizations that it finds to be inimical to its image.”

Related: USF community reflects on Law’s tenure amid future resignation

USF prides itself on diversity. It considers diversity to be one of their “biggest assets,” according to the Admissions Outreach and Access page,  

Choosing a political candidate with beliefs similar to DeSantis, who supports eliminating diversity equity and inclusion programs, will send a harsh message to students: diversity is only a statistic to boast about on brochures, not a hallmark the university actually celebrates and implements.

“The extreme right wing that happens to be in power right now has made absolutely no secret of the fact that they want to take over the universities and purge them of what they think of as leftist indoctrination,” Manning said.

New College of Florida in Sarasota, where former State House representative Richard Corcoran was named president, has fallen victim to this control. 

The liberal arts school continues to face conservative transformations such as abolishing gender studies in an effort to rid the college of “woke” indoctrination.

It is also irresponsible to consider these underqualified candidates for the role. We cannot expect substantial university leadership from somebody who does not know the ins and outs of academia or its structure. 

“If you don’t have some considerable experience in working in the university as a faculty member, a researcher, a teacher, an administrator–If you haven’t got that kind of background, you don’t know what kind of a thing you’re managing,” Manning said. 

Our next president should be somebody who puts students first – a trustworthy individual who communicates well and has a background based in solid education. 

We need a leader who will advocate for students’ knowledge outside of the college sphere, wanting the best for all of us during and beyond our time at USF. 

Related: OPINION: Make USF “woke” again

Some could argue politicians in university leadership positions can bring in more funding and provide connections to those in higher positions. 

While this may be true, will a political candidate really be the best selection for students?

“‘We’ll give you money,’ but only if you pursue the kinds of programs, and make the kinds of hires and cater to the kinds of students that they like,” Manning said. “And that is not what a university is supposed to be. Do we want to become the kind of university we would end up being on those conditions?”

With a search committee consisting of multiple USF associates, a student, a faculty member and various community leaders, there may be a good chance the candidate will be somebody who has the best interest of the university in mind. 

Not somebody with ulterior motives who acts in the best interest of the government. 

“Let’s cross our fingers and hope that the search committee and the Board of Trustees do a virtuous job,” Manning said. 

Indeed, USF should not become DeSantis’s next shiny mouthpiece.