MIAMI – The Florida Board of Governors confirmed the appointment of Jeanette M. Nuñez as Florida International University’s seventh president.
On June 2, the FIU Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name Nuñez as FIU’s president.
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“We proudly welcome Jeanette Nuñez as the seventh president of Florida International University. President Nuñez brings a wealth of experience, a deep connection to South Florida, and a bold vision for the future,” said Brian Lamb, Chair of the Florida Board of Governors.
According to a media release, Nuñez’s confirmation on Wednesday came on the same day FIU was named the top university in the state in performance metrics, for the third consecutive year. In Florida, state universities are evaluated on four-year graduation rate, retention rate, cost of attendance to students, and post-graduation employment. This year, FIU earned a score of 96 out of 100.
Nuñez took on the interim role in February.
Nuñez, 52, a South Florida native and an FIU alumna, and former Lieutenant governor, succeeded current President Ken Jessell.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said he believed she would do a good job in the role when the announcement was made earlier this year.
“The lieutenant governor has done a great job for Florida. She has been involved in all the successes that we’ve had over the last six years. She’s been especially involved in things like the space program,” he said. “She’s been very supportive of our efforts to bring some sanity to higher education and so I think in that sense, she’s going to do a really good job there.”
Florida Democrats slammed the appointment, with party chair Nikki Fried calling it reflective of Republican “hypocrisy.”
“Just a few weeks after she backflipped on protecting in-state tuition for Dreamers — Jeanette Nuñez will now lead one of the most diverse colleges in the state,” Fried said in a statement. “With her record, how can she be trusted to lead the college with the largest population of Hispanic students in the country?”