 A new search was initiated and, two and a half months after Acting Governor Johns was replaced by the newly elected LeRoy Collins, the Board of Control settled on Reitz as its choice to be the university's fifth president on March 22, 1955.He was the first University of Florida faculty member to be elevated to the position.During Reitz's term, more than 300 new campus buildings were erected at an approximate cost of $50 million.