FAU has lost about 100 million, 99.6 million dollars to be exact, in state funding this year, and former FAU Board of Trustee Chair Brad Levine has made the outrageous and untrue claim that fellow trustee Barbara Feingold made the state do it.
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Brad Levine can’t seem to get his foot out of his mouth. According to the Sun Sentinel, Levine claims that fellow board member Barbara Feingold is responsible for the state clawing back forty million dollars for a new, state-of-the-art school of dentistry. Levine referred to generous philanthropist Feingold as “delusional” and said she was “re-writing the past.” He failed to mention that in addition to the forty million take back and a thirty million dollar pledge from Feingold, an additional twelve million dollar ask, having nothing to do with the school of dentistry, was also rejected. Senator Gayle Harrell, R-Martin County, was quoted in Sun-Sentinel as saying it was even more money than previously reported.
According to the Sun Sentinel,
State Sen. Gayle Harrell, a Stuart Republican who sponsored last year’s appropriation request for FAU, asked for an additional $87.6 million for this year, which was denied. She said FAU hadn’t used the $30 million in capital dollars it received last year.
Florida Jolt has extensively reported the outrageous failed search for a university president. What appears to have gone on is a series of poor leadership decisions from a woke school; the only delusional one here is now demoted board member Brad Levine.
The school rejected Governor DeSantis’s recommendation for a new president, State Representative Randy Fine, R-Brevard. They gave whatever reasons for the slap in the face, including some gibberish about interviewing what one donor described as people of the “highest pedigree.” It all seemed to come down to politics—specifically, a dislike of Republican politicians and a feeling that the twice-elected governor of the state shouldn’t be interfering in their stellar decision-making process.
Rep Fine is a staunch conservative firebrand who has sponsored legislation such as making it illegal to perform gender-altering surgery on minor children or to give them dangerous mind and body-altering hormone blockers. It’s the kind of legislation conservatives cheer about, but woke universities are disgusted by. The result was Fine was rejected, and the school’s search committee, headed up by then-Chair Brad Levine, picked a slate of candidates that some thought were great and others thought were terrible. After the university decided to reject Fine, information about “anomalies” during the presidential search surfaced.
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At least one candidate, which later became apparent was Randy Fine, was asked if he was “queer” and if he was a biological or transgendered male. The question led to suspending the search for a new president, pending the results of an investigation. The investigation showed information that was questionable enough to push Brad Levine to resign as chair. However, for some unknown reason, instead of asking Levine to leave, he is still on the board, leaving some to wonder why getting him out is like pulling teeth. Barbara Feingold, meanwhile, did nothing wrong, yet she is still being picked on by Levine, the guy who screwed up the search. Feingold worked with the state to build a much-needed dental school in memory of her beloved husband, Jeffrey P. Feingold. The delusional one, revising the past, appears to be Brad Levine.
State Representative John Snyder, R-Martin County, has worked tirelessly to fund FAU and the new dental school. He had this to say to Fl Jolt;
The idea that FAU lost funding for the dental school because of Barbara Feingold is ridiculous and untrue. Barbara has been an asset to the University, and her leadership and vision were instrumental in securing the funding to begin with. My fellow legislators and I will continue to monitor the situation closely in the upcoming session.
The state took back the money simply because FAU didn’t build the school. A case of “use it or lose it.” Here’s the kicker. Another twelve million dollars for FAU, having nothing to do with the school of dentistry, sponsored by State Representative Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach, never made it into the budget. Was that loss also Barbara Feingold’s fault, or is it more about the school getting spanked for making poor decisions and former Chair Brad Levine, according to sources in the legislature, lobbying the state to take back the money?
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It may be time for FAU to bite its tongue, make better choices that align with the values of the state, and make amends. The only appropriated money outside of regular operating funding given this year was $1,110,899 for the Jupiter campus from State Representative Mike Caruso, R-West Palm Beach, for the Max Planck Society.
Many other universities are looking to operate out of prestigious Palm Beach County. If FAU doesn’t want a new dental school, another lucky university could end up with state money, a substantial financial windfall from Barbara Feingold, and the best dental school in Florida. In the meantime, FAU may end up smelling like a rotten tooth.
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