The Florida Board of Governors approved a three-year contract extension for Florida State University President Richard McCullough Thursday, expressing support and confidence in his leadership.
In February, FSU’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to extend McCullough’s contract. With the BOG’s approval, McCullough’s contractual term as president will be extended from its current end date of August 31, 2026, to August 31, 2029.
“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, FSU’s 16th president, has served in the role since August 2021.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime, and I’m humbled to be the leader of Florida State University,” McCullough said. “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.”
Under McCullough’s leadership, Florida State achieved its highest-ever national ranking, rising to No. 51 among all universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. FSU also ranks No. 21 among public universities by U.S. News & World Report, No. 11 in Niche’s 2026 America’s Top Public Universities, and No. 2 for student experience by The Princeton Review.
FSU has also set records in student retention and graduation rates, increased research expenditures, and launched transformative initiatives such as FSU Health and major efforts in aerospace, quantum science, and entrepreneurship.