The Florida Board of Governors approved a three-year contract extension for Florida State University President Richard McCullough on Mar. 26, expressing support and confidence in his leadership.
FSU’s Board of Trustees had previously voted unanimously in February to extend McCullough’s contract. With the approval from the Board of Governors, his term as president will now run through August 31, 2029, instead of ending in August 2026.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am to have (McCullough) as our president and how proud our board is to have him as our president,” FSU Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins told the Board of Governors. “He brings excellence and humility every day to Florida State University.”
McCullough has served as the university’s 16th president since August 2021. Reflecting on his tenure so far, he said: “It’s been the honor of a lifetime, and I’m humbled to be the leader of Florida State University. We have a lot of momentum. We’re doing things at a very high level, and we won’t rest until we improve every single day.”
During McCullough’s time as president, Florida State achieved its highest-ever national ranking by rising to No. 51 among all universities according to U.S. News & World Report. The university also ranks No. 21 among public universities by U.S. News & World Report, No. 11 in Niche’s America’s Top Public Universities for 2026, and No. 2 for student experience by The Princeton Review.
The university has set records in student retention and graduation rates during this period, increased research expenditures, and launched new initiatives such as FSU Health along with major efforts in aerospace studies, quantum science research, and entrepreneurship.
