DeSantis proposes defunding CRT ‘bureaucracies’ at all public universities

By Amber Jo Cooper

Published Jan. 31, 2023, 10:37 a.m. ET | Updated Jan. 31, 2023

Gov. Ron DeSantis announces higher education proposals to cut DEI and CRT "bureaucracies" in Florida universities, Bradenton, Fla., Jan. 31, 2023.

BRADENTON, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a series of proposals for Florida’s public universities at the State College of Florida on Tuesday.

One aspect of the proposal would eliminate all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) “bureaucracies” at public universities.

#BREAKING: Gov. Ron DeSantis announces proposal to eliminate all funding for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Critical Race Theory at public universities

"All DEI and CRT bureaucracies in the state of Florida – no funding, and that will wither on the vine." pic.twitter.com/8B0yQbZYsC
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) January 31, 2023

DeSantis said his administration will propose core course requirements that are “focused on giving them the foundation so they can think for themselves” and will be grounded in “actual philosophy that has shaped western civilization.”

“We don’t want students to go through, at taxpayer expense, and graduate with a degree in zombie studies,” he said. “And so this is gonna make a difference.”

“We believe in pursuing academic excellence, and that is our goal,” Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, State University System of Florida, said.

DeSantis said they plan to give the boards of trustees and the presidents of the universities the power to call a post-tenure review at any time for faculty. Reviews currently happen every five years.

New higher education proposal builds off our 2022 reforms:
– Core courses rooted in Western tradition
– Elimination of DEI/CRT bureaucracies
– Bolster civics-focused institutes at UF, FSU and FIU
– Additional accountability for tenured faculty pic.twitter.com/XV6mExlzHJ
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 31, 2023

“The most significant deadweight cost at universities is typically unproductive tenure faculty. And so why would we want to saddle you as taxpayers with that cost, if we don’t have to do that,” he explained.

DeSantis said they want to give power to university presidents to make hiring decisions for their university by reestablishing their authority over the hiring process.

“That’s going to make a huge, huge difference in terms of making sure not only we have high quality faculty, but we’re not implying some type of ideological litmus test to be able to be hired in the first place.”

The proposal will prohibit institutions from using discriminatory political filters, including political loyalty oaths and DEI statements in the hiring process.

Another part of the proposal will require preeminent state research universities to include annual research expenditures of $50 million or more for STEM-related occupations, businesses, or industry partners in Florida that are employing Florida residents.

It will require the Board of Governors (BOG) to align universities’ missions to education for citizenship of the constitutional republic and Florida’s existing and emerging workforce needs.

The proposal will provide additional responsibilities and clarifications for Florida State University’s Florida Institute of Politics, including renaming it the Florida Institute for Governance and Civics.

Lastly, it will provide additional responsibilities and clarifications for FIU’s Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic Freedom.

In the beginning of January, the DeSantis Administration requested information from the Department of Education and the State University System regarding the expenditure of state resources on programs and initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory within Florida state colleges and universities.