TRANSCRIPT OF LETTER BY 4 FORMER UF PRESIDENTS:

This April 1, 1989 letter is addressed to Charles B. Edwards, then Chair of the BOR Presidential Selection Committee. A copy with the presidents' signatures is on file.

Dear Mr. Edwards,

As former presidents of the University of Florida, we have reviewed the attached copy of qualifications for President and Provost of the University of Florida which was prepared by an ad hoc committee of distinguished professors at the University. It was circulated among members of the faculty who returned 424 replies of which 411 expressed agreement. We applaud those who prepared this statement and concur with it as the expression of ideal qualifications, with the pragmatic reservation that no candidate be disqualified for not possessing all of the expected qualifications. Few, if any, will do so.

We deplore the large size and demographic composition of the search committee established by law. It is doubly unfortunate that the faculty is so inadequately represented in proportion to the total membership.

The law establishing search committees should be repealed. By all precedents, such matters should be left to the Board of Regents. We are also convinced that searches for university presidents should be exempt from the harmful consequences of the Sunshine Law.

With all good wishes,

Sincerely,

Marshall M. Criser (1984-89) Stephen C. O'Connell (1967-73)

Robert Q. Marston (19174-84) J. Wayne Reitz (1955-67)

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