Florida Atlantic University's search for its next president may have a major impact on whether or not it is able to build its planned dental school, according to an Aug. 22 report by Boca Magazine.
The university initially announced its plans for the dental school in December and is set to receive $30 million from the state.
However, the top condition listed by the school's board of governors to open the school on time was securing funding from the state and other sources. A reported $30 million in funding is anticipated to come from a private donor — expected to be Barbara Feingold, who serves as vice chair of the board of trustees and search committee, and her husband Jeffrey.
The search was halted July 7 after the committee came back with three finalists, which did not include state Rep. Randy Fine, who Gov. Ron DeSantis had voiced as his top choice.
Ms. Feingold said that she is one of the donors concerned about the university's process of finding its next president, saying that she would wait for the outcome to decide whether or not the funds would be available for the dental school.
Brad Levine, chair of the board, defended the search, which appeared to be supported by 10 of the 12 other trustees. Only Ms. Feingold and Linda Stoch were in opposition of how the search has been conducted, the report said