The College Fix: UF Presidential Candidate Criticized for DEI Record After AIM Undercover Investigation
June 9, 2026
U. Florida board to vote on presidential candidate criticized for supporting DEI
Posted on June 9, 2026 | By Alexis Lapp – George Washington University
The University of Florida is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the sole candidate for president who has been criticized by some conservatives for supporting diversity, equity and inclusion at his previous post.
Former University of Alabama President Stuart Bell is the sole candidate up for the position, and has responded to the criticisms by saying “I am not coming to Florida to bring DEI or any type of ‘woke’ back,” the Gainesville Sun reported.
The embattled candidate even received support from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who posted on X: “Dr. Bell did much to elevate the University of Alabama when he was the president in Tuscaloosa and I have no doubt that he will help UF reach new heights during his tenure in Gainesville. He is a great selection and has my full support!”
Under his tenure leading the University of Alabama, however, critics have pointed out Bell “founded Alabama’s DEI office in 2017 and hired its first chief diversity officer.”
“By 2021, Bell was bragging publicly on a university DEI promotional video that over a third of the Alabama’s courses and 70 student organizations were DEI-focused,” stated John Sailer, director of higher education policy with the conservative Manhattan Institute.
Under President Trump in 2024, Republican state lawmakers in Alabama passed a law to shutter DEI offices and programming on college campuses across the state or risk losing state and federal funds.
While Bell closed UA’s DEI office, he opened a new Division of Opportunities, Connections and Success led by Christine Taylor, who formerly led the university’s DEI division. Some have argued the move simply allowed DEI to operate under different names.
On Monday, Accuracy in Media released an undercover video showing University of Alabama’s Shemaiah Kenon, assistant director of the Intercultural Center, saying she and her colleagues have found ways to still maintain DEI on campus.