ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs Board of Trustees accepted the resignation of President Dale Whittaker at an emergency meeting Thursday morning.
The Board also appointed Vice President Thad Seymour, Jr. as interim president effective immediately, and voted to engage the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges to assist with a search for an interim president until a permanent replacement is appointed.
Whittaker, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs fifth president, offered his resignation on Tuesday, along with a statement to the campus community. He also sent a letter to trustees that laid out a path to a renewed relationship with the Legislature.
βFlorida needs a ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ that serves our students and community without fear of what the future may bring,β Whittaker wrote. βGreat universities and our state depend on trust and transparency with a Legislature that shares in its values and mission.β
The Boardβs acceptance of the resignation is subject to a settlement agreement with President Whittaker that will be determined in the weeks ahead. The agreement will be negotiated by the Chairman and based on recommendations from the Boardβs Nominating and Governance Committee.
The Boardβs action followed more than 90 minutes of public comments.
Board Chairman Robert Garvy praised Whittakerβs character and integrity, and his effort to correct the problems that led to the misspending of funds.
βNevertheless, President Whittaker stated in his offer to resign his presidency that sometimes the finest leadership decisions are those that entrust future leadership to others. He has concluded that for ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ to heal wounds new leadership is required. Our loss will be some other institutionβs great gain,β Garvy said. βDale Whittaker has demonstrated great courage and sacrifice for the students, faculty and administration at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½. I believe we should honor his thoughtful and thoroughly considered offer to resign in the hope that the relationship between ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and the Florida Legislature can be renewed.β
Other trustees also praised Whittaker.
βDale Whittaker is a great leader,β Trustee Alex MartinsΒ β01MA said. βHe is a leader of high character, integrity, a visionary, and as weβve heard, incredibly innovative. Weβve been very fortunate to have him as president of this university. Above being a great leader, he understands itβs about this great institution and not about Dale Whittaker.β
Three trusteesΒ β trustee John Sprouls, faculty representative William Self and student representative and SGA President Josh BoloΓ±a β voted to reject the resignation.
Seymour, vice president for partnerships and chief innovation officer, joined ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ in Fall 2015 to help lead the universityβs Collective Impact Strategic Planning process. He was then appointed vice provost for ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Downtown, a campus that will open in August.
Prior to coming to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, Seymour led strategic planning and business development for Lake Nona Medical City as senior vice president at Tavistock Development Company. He holds a bachelorβs degree from Dartmouth College, a masterβs and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Seymourβs service as interim president will conclude when a long-term interim president takes office. The Board of Trusteesβ decision on an interim president is also subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the stateβs 12 public universities.
The Board also voted to continue with Trustee Garvy serving as chairman until July 1.
