TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gulf Coast University on Tuesday started holding forums with four finalists to replace retiring President Mike Martin, with a senior chancellor at the state Department of Education the first candidate to field questions.

Henry Mack, whose duties at the Department of Education include overseeing the Division of Florida Colleges, answered questions from staff members, faculty and students during three hour-long forums.

Mack, who previously worked as associate vice president of Broward College, also is an adjunct professor of philosophy and communications at Florida International University and a visiting lecturer at the University of Miami teaching religious studies. In his Department of Education position, Mack said on his resume that he oversees a roughly $3 billion budget and 1,100 employees.

During a forum moderated by the Florida Gulf Coast faculty senate, Mack described himself as an “innovator, a disruptor and a relationship builder.” Mack also pointed to his knowledge of the Legislature as a factor that would separate him from three other finalists.

“I come ready-made with relationships in Tallahassee. For good or ill. I know people think what they think about me vis-a-vis Tallahassee. However, being able to understand the Legislature and the decision-makers up there, and how the process works, is critical for any institution’s success,” Mack said.

The other finalists will take part in question-and-answer sessions over the next week. Aysegul Timur, vice president and vice provost for strategy and program innovation at Florida Gulf Coast, is scheduled for Wednesday; Neil J. MacKinnon, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Augusta University, is set to answer questions Thursday; and Jay Morgan, president of Morehead State University, will visit the campus April 25.

During a morning session Tuesday moderated by the Florida Gulf Coast Staff Advisory Council, Mack was asked about hot-button issues in higher education, such as academic freedom and diversity issues.

Mack faced the diversity questions as Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders seek to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at colleges and universities.

Chris Blakely, president of the school’s Black Faculty and Staff Association, said students and faculty of color have historically been “targets of race-based discrimination” at predominantly white institutions.

“This is all the more concerning and urgent given the political climate in Florida. As such, what are some specific ways you have and will continue to ensure that BIPOC — Black, indigenous and people of color — are afforded the equitable treatment that federal law demands,” Blakely asked.

Mack pointed to his experience at Broward College and what he called his “commitment to engage Black, brown, minority students and hire a diverse faculty.”

“The diversity aim of Broward College, and the diversity aim under my tenure there, is unequivocally important in terms of our collective success, (and) the success of students and the success of faculty members like yourself,” Mack said.

A bill moving through the Senate (SB 266) also has reignited a debate about academic freedom, as it seeks to require a review of general-education core courses at colleges and universities, potentially leading to the “removal, alignment, realignment or addition” of courses.

The measure would require that such courses not “distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics,” or be “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.”

Dan Bacalzo, a program coordinator and associate professor in Florida Gulf Coast’s Bower School of Music and the Arts, questioned Mack about his commitment to fostering academic freedom.

“How do you guarantee academic freedom in teaching and learning … when it might disagree with your own thoughts?” Bacalzo asked.

Mack said he encourages dialogue over differing beliefs, and that “unequivocally, that should be protected.”

“There’s nothing, either in legislation or regulation, either current or drafted, that in my view would compromise that ability for us to engage in free dialogue and discussion about what we believe and why we believe it,” Mack replied.

The Fort Myers-based university’s search for a new leader is in its second iteration.

The school launched an initial search last spring, but the search was reopened in November after the university’s Board of Trustees ended up with one finalist. Martin, who had announced plans to retire at the end of last year, had his contract extended until June 30 and is expected to remain at the helm until his replacement is chosen.

Remaining candidate public forums

Aysegul Timur, Ph.D.

Current title: Vice President and Vice Provost for Strategy and Program Innovation, Florida Gulf Coast University

Date: Wednesday, April 19

Physical location: Academic Building 9, Room 106

• 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. | Teams link | Moderator group: Staff Advisory Council
  
• 11 a.m. to noon | Teams link | Moderator group: Student Government
  
• 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. | Teams link | Moderator group: Faculty Senate

Neil J. MacKinnon, Ph.D.|

Current title: Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Augusta University

Date: Thursday, April 20

Physical location: Cohen Student Union, Room 201

• 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. | Teams link | Moderator group: Staff Advisory Council
  
• 11 a.m. to noon | Teams link | Moderator group: Faculty Senate
  
• 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. | Teams link | Moderator group: Student Government

Joseph A. “Jay” Morgan, Ph.D.

Current title: President, Morehead State University

Date: Tuesday, April 25

Physical location: Academic Building 9, Room 106

• 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. | Teams link | Moderator group: Staff Advisory Council
  
• 11 a.m. to noon | Teams link | Moderator group: Faculty Senate
  
• 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. | Teams link | Moderator group: Student Government