FAU’s Board of Trustees (BOT) extended Interim President Stacy Volnick’s contract until the end of 2024 or until a president is appointed — whichever comes first — at a meeting on Tuesday.

Volnick took over as interim president at the start of the calendar year after John Kelly stepped down. Kelly’s resignation triggered a national search for a new president at FAU.

State University System of Florida Chancellor Ray Rodrigues sent a letter to BOT Chair Brad Levine in July asking to suspend the search for FAU’s next president indefinitely, citing the Presidential Search Committee’s violations of Florida’s Sunshine Law. Levine obliged, and on Oct. 30, Attorney General Ashley Moody determined that the search committee did violate Florida law. 

Faculty expressed support for Volnick at a September BOT meeting, and many endorsed her for the permanent role.

“I am honored to be recognized by the board for my performance,” said Volnick. “I look forward to working with the trustees, faculty, staff and students to push Florida Atlantic’s continued progress to new heights.”

On Nov. 12, Levine delivered a performance evaluation letter to Volnick praising her and the university’s growth over the past year, noting how she supported public affairs staff in generating $1.7 billion as the men’s basketball team made its run to the Final Four. Levine wrote that the chair of the Board of Governors, university friends and community leaders commended and praised Volnick’s success “at the helm of FAU during some challenging times.”

He rated her work at the highest level — exceptional.

Jessica Abramsky is the Editor-in-Chief of the University Press. For more information on this article or others, you can reach Jessica at [email protected] or tweet her @jessabramsky.