From The Palm Beach Post

By KIMBERLY MILLER

Staff Writer

Thursday, July 16, 2009

In 2003, Frank Brogan dropped into the race for the presidency of Florida Atlantic University like the favorite cousin no one knew was coming for Thanksgiving.

Other applicants scattered from the table, making way for powerful Gov. Jeb Bush's then-lieutenant governor.

In the background, professors griped about Brogan's lack of a doctorate and the belief his unanimous appointment was political.

Today, Brogan could be chosen as the state university system's next chancellor - another party he joined late, again leaving contenders to scatter.

Finalist Thomas Snyder, president of Indiana's Ivy Tech Community College, dropped out of the race late Wednesday. Three are now vying for leadership of the state's 11 public universities.

Brogan is widely seen as the front-runner for the chancellor's job, but six years after he took the helm of FAU, is the school better, worse or the same?

At the end of the day (a favorite Brogan turn of phrase), it depends on whom you ask.

Praise is plentiful for Brogan's smooth moves negotiating deals that landed The Scripps Research Institute on FAU's Jupiter campus and a coveted four-year medical program in Boca Raton.

Criticism, less so.

Many rank-and-file FAU employees are wary of being candid in case Brogan is not selected chancellor. Many statewide administrators are wary in case he is.

This is a man whose résumé reference list includes Gov. Charlie Crist, U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, U.S. Rep. Ron Klein and former Gov. Bush.

But there are complaints that while FAU's reputation has skyrocketed under Brogan with two football bowl victories and national media attention from the Republican presidential primary debate, academic quality has suffered.

"Brogan has succeeded in branding the university and giving it a Division I football team, yet these are essentially stand-ins for genuine academic substance," FAU Faculty Union President James Tracy said.

The average high school grade-point average for incoming FAU freshmen was 3.5 in 2003, according to university records. Last fall, it was 3.1.

Research funding has fallen, and nearly two years after FAU's vice president for research resigned, a permanent replacement has yet to be hired.

Brogan's relationship with his faculty has been the most strained.

It may be difficult for people outside academia to grasp the seriousness of FAU's recent layoffs of five tenured professors, which coincided with a $16.7 million budget cut forced by state reductions. Tenure is a level of job security earned after years of critical peer and administrative review, and to professors, it is sacrosanct.

"We have the making of a national scandal," Thomas Auxter, United Faculty of Florida president, said of the layoffs. "When a university breaks tenure, it is a threat to the integrity of the institution."

Brogan was out of town this week and unavailable for comment, but has said the layoffs were not an attack on tenure.

Brogan is humble when it comes to monetary rewards. Although bonuses have been offered, he has taken one only once in six years, and deferred a 10 percent salary increase awarded last fall until 2010.

But he is sensitive to criticism, said some faculty members, who also contend he doesn't seek their opinions enough.

"I would say the administration doesn't trust faculty to participate in discussions about the future of the university," Faculty Senate President Tim Lenz said.

Other professors have warmed to Brogan.

Fred Hoffman, a math professor, was one of the gripers in 2003. Today, he is mostly positive about Brogan, although he says it is uncertain whether FAU is better off.

Controversies such as former fund-raiser Lawrence Davenport's $577,952 severance package, concerns about resources being spread among FAU's multiple campuses, and questions about insurance mogul Barry Kaye's touted $16 million donation could linger for years.

Still, Hoffman feels Brogan is the best candidate for chancellor. Many others, including FAU trustees, believe he is a natural for the job.

In six years, Brogan's public performance evaluations from trustees have been gushing.

"I would love to have Frank stay and be with FAU," said Nancy Blosser, trustee chairwoman. "His leadership has been good for us."

Students also are fond of Brogan.

Affable and quick with a quip, he blends easily into campus life. Every August, he helps freshmen move into dorms. Often unknown to new students and parents, Brogan said a mother once referred to him as "the little guy with the dolly."

Rick Smith, who graduated in 2007, said he once visited Brogan's office after 5 p.m., without an appointment. He was welcomed inside.

"That conversation meant more to me than almost anything else I experienced at FAU," Smith said.

But some professors contend that the adulation Brogan attracts has allowed his missteps to be dismissed.

In 2007, as lawmakers began an investigation into Davenport's huge severance package, trustees made no mention of it in Brogan's evaluation.

Brogan originally said Davenport resigned to pursue other job opportunities. When pressed, he said he had been unhappy with Davenport's performance and asked for his resignation. A state audit released eight months later found that Davenport threatened to sue FAU, charging race and age discrimination. The severance package was a way to make the issue go away.

In the end, Brogan got a public scolding from the state's Joint Legislative Audit Committee.

"There was no serious scrutiny or supervision from the board of trustees, which rubber-stamped roughly all of Brogan's policies and never called his actions into serious question," Tracy said.