FLORIDA — The Florida Board of Governors voted to appoint Stuart Bell as the next president of the University of Florida on July 1, 2026. All but one member of the board voted in favor of the appointment, and Bell assumed the presidency immediately, replacing Interim President Donald Landry.

Bell served as president of the University of Alabama prior to this appointment. The University of Florida operated without a permanent president for two years after Ben Sasse resigned from the position. The University of Florida Board of Trustees had voted unanimously in June 2026 to hire Bell.

During the confirmation process, Bell addressed concerns about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. "I am not coming to Florida to bring DEI or woke back," Bell said. He stated, "We closed every DEI office" at the University of Alabama, adding that his work there focused on growing in-state enrollment, particularly in rural areas. Board member Aubrey Edge cast the sole dissenting vote and questioned Bell regarding Alabama Faculty Senate meeting minutes from three years prior, which described Bell as saying DEI initiatives would remain operational under a different name.

Bell clarified his approach to free speech and campus activities. When asked if he had read the state university system's statement on free expression, he stated he had not but indicated support for the Chicago statement on institutional neutrality. He said that this position enables "free discussion and free expression and civil discourse to occur on our campuses." Regarding free speech versus hate speech, Bell said, "I think that we have to be very careful on our campuses. Certainly we don't have to look much past Oct. 7, in that there was a lot of hate speech that was going on on campuses that truly interfered with our mission."

Bell expressed opposition to campus encampments, stating that the University of Alabama did not have encampments during his tenure. "If you try to have an encampment, the next day we'll have a tent sale," he said. On the topic of critical race theory, Bell replied that it has a "limited place" in curriculum. He noted he does not see a place for it in K–12 teaching program classes and stated it is not part of the nuclear engineering field. "We're not trying to teach our students what to think; we're trying to teach our students how to think," he said.

Florida Board of Governors member Nick Sinatra addressed Bell, stating, "I know it doesn't feel like it and may not have felt like it at times, but we're excited to have you here." Sinatra added, "I thought some of the accusations that were flowing out around you and against you were very much unfair, and I made that clear." He also emphasized moving forward after the vote. Board Chair Alan Levine delayed the vote on Bell one week prior to the July 1 appointment, citing concerns that the University of Florida board violated state regulations regarding a $2 million exit package for Donald Landry that Board Chair Mori Hosseini approved. Additionally, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott raised concerns that the University of Florida board ran afoul of state regulations.

Board members expressed concern about leadership vacancies at the University of Florida, including an open provost position and several deanships. Bell stated that he would address these issues promptly. "Work hard, work fast. As an engineer, we have strengths and we have weaknesses. One of our strengths is we develop a plan and we move quickly," he said regarding filling leadership vacancies. Bell's official inauguration as University of Florida president is scheduled for later in 2026. "I'm ready to get to work," Bell said in a statement.