‘We start from the same place': FIU Interim President Jeanette Nuñez addresses concerns with her appointment

Floirda's former Lt. Governor has moved into her new post as interim president at Florida International University and assured faculty members that she is the right person for the job.

Several people on FIU's campus consider Nuñez a non-traditional candidate, and are not happy somebody outside academia will run the university. Nuñez met with members of the Faculty Senate for the first time on Tuesday and addressed some of their concerns.

"I know some of you have represented that you were dismayed at my appointment, but I will comment only to say that I think we start from the same place, and that is the success of our students and the success of this university," she said.

One member of FIU’s faculty senate expressed serious concerns about a politician being FIU’s interim president.

"While some may disagree with it, I feel that my experience my connection and my ability to parlay FIU into the next level may be a little different than some of those scenarios that you referenced," Nuñez said.

Other faculty members raised other issues like funding, especially in light of federal education dollars possibly being withheld.

Some students, one professor said, don’t feel safe.

"Trans students, LGBTQ students, dreamers, students in households with mixed immigration status, they have been asking me, 'How you are going to keep them safe on campus?'"

"I know we have an excellent police department, I know we have excellent relationships to make sure that every student is safe and secure, and so again, I adhere to the principles of making sure that everyone has the opportunity to engage in diverse viewpoints," Nuñez responded.

Nuñez's presidential appointment has stirred controversy, as it came at the suggestion of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Students and professors have questioned the process and Nuñez's conservative leanings, like reversing her position granting in-state tuition for undocumented students. 

"All of these are incredibly problematic, we have a beautifully diverse university and she has not really shown that she is coming to serve all of us, only the few of us," said Kassandra Toussaint, a senior. 

"It feels like a political move, it feels like we are a piece in a puzzle, that we don’t know what that puzzle is, that the traditional process that is in place for hiring a president was not followed," said Tania Cepero Lopez, president of FIU's Faculty Union. 

Nuñez, she said, understands the big difference between being lieutenant governor of a state and a university president.

"I know that I’m going to transition from someone who was constantly opining, constantly involved in politics, to someone who will now view everything from the prism of what is in the best interest of our students," she said.

One top priority for Nuñez will be to raise money.

A national search is set to be launched to name a permanent president.

As the sitting interim president, Nuñez will have an advantage.