BOCA RATON, Fla. — The presidential search for Florida Atlantic University has been suspended, the university said Sunday.
The announcement comes just days after the university announced its three finalists for the top job.
In a letter dated Friday, State University System of Florida Chancellor Ray Rodrigues wrote to FAU Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee Chairman Brad Levine, citing "anomalies that have been alleged in the Florida Atlantic University presidential search."
The letter said Rodrigues' office "received concerning information" regarding the presidential search, including that search committee members conducted a straw poll to rank their six preferred candidates out of a list of nearly 60.
The letter also stated that one candidate said a questionnaire asked if his sexual orientation is "queer" and whether he was "male or transgender male," and that another survey asked whether his gender is "male, female or other" and what his "preferred pronouns were."
The candidate who was asked about his sexual orientation and preferred pronouns was not identified in the letter.
Following the written request from Rodrigues, Levine agreed to suspend the university's presidential search until further notice.
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As a result, the candidates' campus visits and open forums that were scheduled for this week have been canceled.
In a written response to Rodrigues dated Saturday, Levine said that the university "stands ready to assist Board of Governors staff immediately" and has "already begun to acquire information about the matters raised."
The university announced Wednesday three finalists had been recommended to the University's Board of Trustees for the university's top job.
Those finalists are Vice Adm. Sean Buck, superintendent of the United States Naval Academy; Michael Hartline, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business at Florida State University; and Jose Sartarelli, Ph.D., former chancellor of the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
The school said the finalists were chosen after several weeks of conducting in-person interviews with several semifinalists, before selecting the three finalists.
School officials said the applicant pool included 12 current or former university or system presidents, eight executive vice presidents, five provosts, and several vice presidents of health affairs and deans.