The Florida Board of Governors voted unanimously Thursday to confirm the appointment of Dr. Donald Landry as the University of Florida’s interim president.
Landry, a physician-scientist and chair emeritus of Columbia University’s Department of Medicine, started the interim role Sept. 1 following unanimous approval by UF’s Board of Trustees on Aug. 25.
The vote by the Board of Governors during Thursday’s meeting confirmed Landry can continue to serve as UF’s interim president.
“UF is on the ascendant, and I enthusiastically endorse, and will tirelessly work, to achieve this aspiration,” said Landry, who was present at the Board of Governors meeting along with Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini. “I look forward to serving UF students, faculty, staff and our stakeholders throughout the state.”
Landry’s contract, which will run through Aug. 31, 2026, includes an annual base salary of $2 million, with a potential $500,000 bonus if he meets performance goals. If not selected as UF’s permanent president when his term ends, Landry could also earn up to $2 million in severance through Aug. 31, 2027.
The contract outlines several mandated interim presidential duties and responsibilities. This includes appointing a permanent provost and filling interim dean positions and interim and/or vacant leadership jobs with people who are “firmly aligned with and support the principles guiding Florida’s approach to higher education.”
During the meeting, Landry told the Board of Governors that locking in leadership at several of the university’s well-known colleges will be a “major focus” until it is done.
Board member Kimberly Dunn asked Landry how he planned to fill the numerous vacancies at UF.
“I have to get to know the schools and the colleges involved, leaders currently in place,” Landry replied. “I have no presuppositions about how we will finally get permanent, long-term deans. But what I can promise is they will be capable of leading their charges into the top ranks of law, medicine, engineering, arts and sciences, because we will achieve our objectives.”
As part of his contract, Landry is also expected to “commit to working with Florida and Federal DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse” and uphold state laws in prohibiting the use of public or private funds for DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives or political or social activism.
The contract also states that Landry is expected to “keep the safety of UF’s students, including its Jewish students, and broader campus community as the top priority.”
During the Aug. 25 Board of Trustees meeting, Hosseini referenced the pro-Palestine student encampments that escalated on college campuses across the U.S. in the spring of 2024 and the response taken by UF.
“We did not allow encampments. Period,” Hosseini said at the Aug. 25 meeting. “We have over 6,000 Jewish students at UF, and when Jewish students at the other schools were being harassed and intimidated, we directed our administration to open the doors and invite them to transfer here with no barriers, where they would be safe.”
In reaffirming his support of Landry to the Board of Governors, Hosseini said during the Aug. 25 meeting, the Board of Trustees was able to confirm that Landry shared its commitment to keeping UF a safe place for Jewish students to live.
“I will be locking in a culture of freedom of academic expression tempered by civility,” Landry said at the Board of Governors meeting.
Landry succeeds Kent Fuchs, who had served in the interim president role since August 2024, following the sudden resignation of former President Ben Sasse. This was after an eight-year stint as the university’s 12th president.
While serving in an interim capacity, Fuchs earned an annual base salary of $1 million. His contract was supposed to end on July 31, but he agreed to extend it by a month while the Board of Trustees continued to work toward a temporary solution after the Board of Governors’ rejection of Dr. Santa Ono – the trustees’ sole finalist for the university’s 14th president – in June.
During the meeting, the Board of Governors unanimously adopted two resolutions, recognizing Fuchs and former Florida A&M University interim President Timothy Beard for their contributions to their respective universities and state university system.
UF is expected to start the search for a permanent president in 2026.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.