Overview
- The University of North Florida Board of Trustees voted to name Dr. Michael P. Shannon president-elect on Wednesday, putting him in line to become the university’s eighth president.
- Trustees will consider Shannon’s contract at a Sept. 23 meeting and his appointment must be confirmed by the statewide Florida Board of Governors before he takes office.
- Shannon has led the University of North Georgia since 2023 and is credited there with record enrollment, better student retention and expanded academic and workforce programs; he is a first-generation college graduate, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, and has academic and executive experience at Georgia Tech.
- UNF conducted a five-month national search that drew 152 applicants and included listening sessions with students, faculty, alumni and community leaders, but the search committee publicly named only Shannon as its finalist and critics including Florida House Speaker-designate Sam Garrison have protested the single-public-finalist outcome.
- If confirmed, Shannon would inherit a campus with about 18,900 students and a recent rise in freshman and graduate enrollment, and his selection could shape UNF’s push for continued enrollment growth, program expansion and stronger regional ties while the state continues to debate transparency in university searches.