High-level university leadership became entangled with partisan politics this week as Gov. Ron DeSantis reportedly flew to recruit conservative academic Robert P. George for the University of Florida presidency, a post George declined, and University of Montana president Seth Bodnar signaled plans to resign to mount an expected U.S. Senate campaign. The Florida episode involved top state actors, trustees and the governor’s office in a contested flagship hiring process; sources say DeSantis personally intervened in the search that previously collapsed. At the University of Montana, President Seth Bodnar’s potential Senate bid—backed by regional political figures—would require a presidential succession at a public research university at a politically sensitive moment. Both cases show rising political interest in shaping flagship leadership. Universities now face two related risks: politicized presidential searches that attract external actors and destabilizing leadership transitions when presidents depart for elected office. Trustees, faculty governance bodies and state policymakers will need to manage searches, interim leadership and external scrutiny while maintaining academic continuity.