麻豆原创鈥檚 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, 麻豆原创鈥檚 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.
鈥淔lorida needs a 麻豆原创 that serves our students and community without fear of what the future may bring,鈥� Whittaker wrote. 鈥淕reat universities and our state depend on trust and transparency with a Legislature that shares in its values and mission.鈥�
The Board鈥檚 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 Board鈥檚 Nominating and Governance Committee.
The Board鈥檚 action followed more than 90 minutes of public comments.
Board Chairman Robert Garvy praised Whittaker鈥檚 character and integrity, and his effort to correct the problems that led to the misspending of funds.
鈥淣evertheless, 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 麻豆原创 to heal wounds new leadership is required. Our loss will be some other institution鈥檚 great gain,鈥� Garvy said. 鈥淒ale Whittaker has demonstrated great courage and sacrifice for the students, faculty and administration at 麻豆原创. I believe we should honor his thoughtful and thoroughly considered offer to resign in the hope that the relationship between 麻豆原创 and the Florida Legislature can be renewed.鈥�
Other trustees also praised Whittaker.
鈥淒ale Whittaker is a great leader,鈥� Trustee Alex Martins聽鈥�01MA said. 鈥淗e is a leader of high character, integrity, a visionary, and as we鈥檝e heard, incredibly innovative. We鈥檝e been very fortunate to have him as president of this university. Above being a great leader, he understands it鈥檚 about this great institution and not about Dale Whittaker.鈥�
Three trustees聽鈥� trustee John Sprouls, faculty representative William Self and student representative and SGA President Josh Bolo帽a 鈥� voted to reject the resignation.
Seymour, vice president for partnerships and chief innovation officer, joined 麻豆原创 in Fall 2015 to help lead the university鈥檚 Collective Impact Strategic Planning process. He was then appointed vice provost for 麻豆原创 Downtown, a campus that will open in August.
Prior to coming to 麻豆原创, Seymour led strategic planning and business development for Lake Nona Medical City as senior vice president at Tavistock Development Company. He holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Dartmouth College, a master鈥檚 and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Seymour鈥檚 service as interim president will conclude when a long-term interim president takes office. The Board of Trustees鈥� decision on an interim president is also subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state鈥檚 12 public universities.
The Board also voted to continue with Trustee Garvy serving as chairman until July 1.
