The interim leader of Florida International University will become the school’s next president, pending approval by the Florida Board of Governors.
Interim President Kenneth Jessell has spent decades as a student, professor and administrator at public universities across the state of Florida. But he says that in his heart he’s a panther — and that he’s ready to lead FIU into the future.
“I really did become a panther on day one,” he said. “There is no place better.”
Jessell — who has led the school since being appointed in January — has acknowledged that he wasn’t initially interested in taking the permanent post. But he says his 10 months at the helm has changed him.
“It has been the realization how much I love FIU and this community,” he said at Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting, pausing to apparently collect himself emotionally.
“Over the 10 months I have learned a lot about myself and even more about our great students, our great faculty and great staff members,” Jessell said. “That in itself was a great realization. I always knew it but I didn’t realize how much. And that gave me the ability to say, ‘I can do this because I love this institution’.”
Jessell agrees to three year contract, just shy of $1M in annual compensation
Jessell won the unanimous support of FIU’s Board of Trustees on Monday, many of whom had encouraged him to apply for the job in the first place. Under an agreement approved on Monday, Jessell’s initial contract will last for three years and he’ll earn a base salary of $650,000, with his overall compensation package totalling $996,081 a year.
One trustee argued for increasing Jessell’s compensation to just over $1 million, a suggestion which was shot down by Vice Chair Roger Tovar, who said it’s important to send a message to the campus to acknowledge that many staffers have gone without pay increases in recent years.
Under the contract, Jessell would be granted a one-year paid research leave after his time as president comes to an end. He would also be able to return to the school’s faculty after finishing the research leave.
A first generation college student and a product of academia
Jessell says as a first generation college graduate, he knows the transformational impact of higher education — and as a career academic, he values the fundamental principles of shared governance and academic freedom.
He says he’s ready to go to bat for the school in Tallahassee, at a time when state lawmakers increasingly hold sway over university funding and education policy — even dictating how educators can address issues like race and discrimination in the classroom.
“I've had these conversations with our faculty here and what I have told them is that we are going to continue to do the outstanding teaching and the outstanding research that we always do,” Jessell told reporters. “As long as we're doing that, I am not going to be worried by any of the noise. I have tremendous faith, tremendous confidence in our faculty.”
Jessell’s leadership comes at a pivotal time for the university. This year, FIU marked its 50th anniversary and is celebrating its success in making higher ed more accessible for thousands of Latino and Black students and those from low income backgrounds.
FIU is touting itself as the “fastest-rising institution in the nation”, based on annual rankings from U.S. News & World Report, which named the school as one of the top five in the country for social mobility.
“I am confident that Dr. Jessell will maintain our current momentum and continue to advance FIU’s excellence in research, scholarship and teaching,” said Dean Colson, chair of the Board of Trustees. “I could not be prouder to have you as the sixth president of Florida International University.”
Christhofer Lugo, president of FIU’s Student Government Association and a member of the Board of Trustees, says he sees Jessell as an engaging and accessible leader – who wasn’t afraid to bust out some dance moves at a recent Panthers Got Talent homecoming event.
“He’s super outgoing. Super charismatic. Super approachable,” Lugo said. He described Jessell as “student-centric” and “someone who is able to understand the student issues.”
“Being a student in the 21st Century is really hard. Post-covid things really have changed. So somebody who is able…not to stay with the status quo but somebody who’s able to change and modernize with our new era that we’re going through,” Lugo said. “He’s definitely the guy to do that.”
Jessell plans to return to teaching after his time as president
Jessell has been with FIU for 13 years, previously serving as the school’s Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer, and a professor of finance in the College of Business Administration.
Before coming to South Florida’s largest university, he spent 26 years at Florida Atlantic University, starting as an assistant professor before working his way up through the administrative ranks as an associate dean, interim provost and Senior Vice President for Financial Affairs. According to his resume, he holds a B.S., and M.B.A and a Ph.D. from Florida State University.
Jessell stepped in after former president Mark Rosenberg resigned after being accused of sexually harassing a younger female employee. Jessell says that history won’t have a bearing on his own tenure.
He was the only finalist to lead FIU, after other top contenders dropped out of consideration because they didn’t want to go forward if they weren’t the sole finalist, according to Tovar.
The search process happened mostly behind closed doors, after the Florida Legislature passed a new state law largely exempting university presidential searches from the state’s public records and meeting meetings laws.
Jessell’s candidacy is subject to final approval by the Florida Board of Governors, which is scheduled to meet on Nov. 9.
