Let’s Keep It OUR University
Behind the Appointments
Standing Up for Our University
SaveUWF is a large organization of hundreds of community members dedicated to resisting the hostile political takeover of UWF. Our mission is to educate the public through efforts including billboards, yard signs, pins, stickers, and a public Town Hall meeting that drew over 400 attendees — furious about the political trustees being imposed on our university.
We’ve also shown up where it matters: members of our group have attended Florida Senate trustee confirmation hearings and testified about the nominees’ lack of qualifications and their ideological agendas. These individuals are unfit to oversee UWF.
UNDERSTANDING FLORIDA'S UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
The State University System (SUS) includes 12 state universities governed by a Board of Governors (BOG):
17 members total: 14 appointed by the Governor, and 3 seats for the Commissioner of Education, a faculty rep, and a student rep.
Members serve 7-year terms.
Each university also has a 13-member Board of Trustees (BOT):
7 appointed by the Governor
5 appointed by the Board of Governors
1 each from the Faculty Senate and Student Body
Members serve 5-year terms, with the possibility of reappointment.
Governor DeSantis has been installing loyal political allies across multiple universities — at UF, FIU, New College, and now UWF — regardless of their qualifications or connection to higher education.
WHAT HAPPENED AT UWF?
In recent years, the Governor and BOG allowed the terms of 8 UWF trustees to quietly lapse.
In early January, 8 new trustees were appointed. Almost all are ideological appointees with no experience at UWF or in higher education. Several have never set foot in Pensacola.
On January 23, at a virtual BOT meeting:
The 8 new trustees voted in Scott Yenor as Chair and Rebecca Matthews as Vice Chair.
There was no debate or discussion.
On March 20, the BOT met again. Chair Yenor, although in Tallahassee, did not attend in person, instead Zooming in from afar.
HOW TRUSTEES ARE CONFIRMED
Appointees are submitted by the Governor to the Florida Senate, reviewed by two committees:
Higher Education Appropriations Committee
Ethics & Elections Committee (chaired by Sen. Don Gaetz)
As of March 26:
Adam Kissel was rejected
Rachel Moya, Rebecca Matthews, and Ashley Ross were confirmed (party-line vote)
Scott Yenor has NOT been submitted yet
Even if not confirmed, nominees can be reappointed for two years, reinforcing the need for strong and visible public pressure.
WHAT'S NEXT — AND HOW YOU CAN HELP
We expect the next review of appointees to take place the week of April 7. SaveUWF will be:
Sharing the exact date and sign-up form once it’s posted (requires 72 hours notice)
If you cannot attend:
Send personal, handwritten letters to members of the two Senate committees urging them to reject these appointees based on:
Lack of higher ed experience
No connection to UWF or the region
Extremist or politically motivated views
Full list of Senate members and addresses:
Contact Legislators
WHO ARE THESE APPOINTEES?
A full list of the eight new UWF trustee nominees is available below, along with their backgrounds and affiliations.
Note: This section is a work in progress as we continue to research and verify details.
Meet the Appointees (Link is PDF)
FINAL NOTE
UWF is our university. It belongs to the students, faculty, and communities it serves — not to politicians and outside ideologues. The fight to save it starts with showing up and speaking out. Thank you for standing with us.