A new request from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office has landed at Florida universities’ doorsteps, this time concerning procedures and services dealing with gender-affirming care on campus.
A Jan. 17 panel reviewed the Presidential Task Force on African American and Native American History’s report detailing new research and recounting a more complete version of UF’s history concerning African Americans and Native Americans.
UF reported over $5 million in total funding for diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory initiatives — projected as approximately 0.14% of its annual budget, according to a state-mandated audit released to The Alligator Jan. 18.
For the first time in its history, UF will be mandated to shop for accreditors between now and 2025. The changes to accreditation come in light of Senate Bill 7044, which requires Florida universities to seek new accreditors every five years. The Florida Board of Governors is tasked with finding potential accreditors for universities, a list from which universities can choose which accreditation to apply for, according to SB 7044.
The UF Faculty Senate voted Tuesday to approve a resolution that calls on the Florida Board of Governors to delay the implementation of a statewide post-tenure review reform — with only one dissenting vote visible.
The Stop W.O.K.E. Act was put in place in July. UF, the state’s flagship university, was the first to issue guidance to faculty, according to the United Faculty of Florida. It also has the most to lose financially from violations of the law because the university receives the most state funding.
In a sit-down interview with The Alligator, Fuchs shared his thoughts on how extensive he wished COVID-19 regulations at UF could have been, the scariest moment of his presidency and his personal disagreement with officials about perceived indoctrination on campus.
Underfunding is the center of why six FAMU students have filed a lawsuit Sept. 22 against the Florida Board of Governors, claiming the state has substantially deprived the HBCU of money for the past three decades.
Following Sasse's contentious selection as UF's lone presidential finalist, many alumni have taken to social media to express their disappointment or support of the choice. Hundreds of alumni comments flooded UF's official finalist announcement on Twitter, with many expressing concern with the university's direction.
Students gathered outside the Harn Museum of Art to express their frustrations surrounding UF’s presumptive president. Members of the UF Foundation Board attended a private event inside the museum as picketers surrounded the barricaded entrance.
The Oct. 6 UF press release that announced Sasse as the finalist mentioned the university courted a dozen highly qualified, diverse candidates — nine of them being current presidents of major research universities.
Negotiations have been open since September. The two groups met via Zoom Monday for the final bargaining session about the graduate assistant contract’s Article 8, which addresses what kinds of leave graduate assistants can take.
During Sasse’s visit, he’s scheduled to participate in open forums with the UF community. Outside Emerson Hall, student activists are planning to give their own feedback through organizing a protest against the Nebraska senator’s candidacy.
Search administrators have lauded Sasse’s experience in academic and public service, while student groups have blasted the senator for his political stances against gay marriage and abortion.
Mark Law and UF administration are publicly at odds about the nature of his termination. Honors students say they were confused about the nature of Law’s firing, and some faculty who already distrusted the administration rallied to Law’s cause.
House Bill 7, dubbed the “Stop WOKE Act” by Gov. Ron Desantis, went into effect July 1, 2022. The law is an expansion on Florida Statute Section 760.10, now including language that prohibits certain material from being taught at universities in the Florida State University System.
The director of UF Honors Program was fired Monday. He said he wasn’t given an explanation by the Board of Trustees.
In the past two years, institutions such as Harvard University, State University of New York at Oswego, Pennsylvania State University and Temple University have undergone or are undergoing their own presidential searches.
A former student’s lawsuit arguing UF violated its contract when it required the student body to pay for on-campus amenities despite COVID-19 restrictions will see the Florida First District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee July 20.
The UF presidential search remains a secret as it enters its fourth month. Public record bills passed in March permit the names of Florida schools' presidential candidates to remain private, but similar questions to recent state searches persist.
Solutions by The State News
