Dallas firm to handle search for new chancellor of Florida universities

TAMPA — The group that oversees Florida's 11 public universities voted unanimously Thursday to hire a Dallas search firm to aid in hiring a new chancellor for the state university system.

The 14-member committee selected the firm of R. William Funk & Associates to find a replacement for chancellor Mark Rosenberg, who announced his resignation in September.

Dubbed the "guru of higher education recruiting" by the Chronicle of Higher Education, Funk has conducted approximately 300 searches for college presidents and chancellors. Among the 70 sitting presidents the company has recruited are John Lombardi at Louisiana State University and Donna Shalala at the University of Miami.

The firm agreed to undertake the search for $75,000 plus expenses, $23,000 less than the next lowest bidder. But Board of Governors member and search committee chairwoman Carolyn Roberts said that while the group should be concerned about how much the search will cost, its primary concern must be finding the right person for the job.

"This is a critical search," Roberts said. "We need someone with the skills to navigate through some difficult times."