Florida State poised to select next president. Nine are on short list. Some high-profile names are among the 22 candidates considered by a search committee. Â Â The entrance to Ruby Diamond Auditorium on the Florida State University campus, where a search committee is deciding on a successor to president John Thrasher. [ BILL LAX | Bill Lax/FSU Photo Lab ] Updated May 11 A search committee looking for the next president of Florida State University on Tuesday developed a short list of nine candidates that includes state education commissioner Richard Corcoran. The committee chose Corcoran and the others from a candidate pool of 22 people. Two other high-profile candidates â Frank Brogan and Jeff Kottkamp, who served terms as Florida lieutenant governor â did not make the list.