UF's state-funded rise in rankings now at risk due to DeSantis, Legislature

Republican rule has paid off for the University of Florida, but now the bill is coming due.

GOP lawmakers have approved funding over the past few years that helped UF rise to rank among the country’s top five public universities. But more recently, the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis have dragged UF into the culture wars, threatening its reputation and future funding.

This year, UF and other state universities fared well financially but the state also took steps to reduce their political independence. DeSantis signed a state budget this month that provides $5.3 billion for the State University System, including a 12.8% increase in base operating funds.

UF received money for several specific projects as well, including $58.3 million for its dental sciences building. DeSantis vetoed some UF projects, including $30 million that state Sen. Keith Perry has long sought for a new music building. But Perry, R-Gainesville, said that UF did very well overall.

“It wasn’t everything but it was a very good year,” he said.

But other measures supported by Perry and state Rep. Chuck Clemons, R-Newberry, threaten UF's funding as well as the academic freedom of its faculty. SB 7044 forces universities to periodically change accreditors, while also requiring professors’ tenure to be reviewed by the state Board of Governors every five years.

The tenure provision was slipped into the bill right before it passed, avoiding the scrutiny of committee hearings. Another measure snuck into law late in the process could cost UF $100 million annually in performance funding if it is found to violate the so-called “Stop WOKE ACT,” which restricts how gender and race are discussed in schools.

Even the conservative Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression recognizes that the legislation was designed to chill free speech. Andrew Gothard, president of the United Faculty of Florida union, told the USA Today Network that the measure has raised faculty concerns that government is going to keep them from doing their jobs.

More from Nathan Crabbe:

Land-use and zoning changes would likely take years to impact Gainesville

Ballot measure, ARPA money among options to fund affordable housing in Gainesville

Gainesville is for People seeks to mobilize residents who support pro-housing policies

These measures were passed mere months after U.S. News and World Report ranked UF among the country’s top five public universities for the first time. While a state-funded hiring push helped UF rise in the rankings, scaring off faculty runs counter to that effort.

Perry defended the measures as creating accountability for state universities that is necessary due to all the public funding they receive. Clemons dismissed suggestions that lawmakers did anything to hurt UF’s reputation.

“I don’t think any legislation passed that would affect the standing of Florida’s flagship university and other universities in Florida,” he said.

But UF's reputation has already taken a hit following a series of controversies last fall. UF faced criticism for banning faculty from testifying in court against laws backed by DeSantis and GOP legislators, as well as for fast-tracking COVID-19 skeptic Joseph Ladapo’s hiring as a professor so DeSantis could then appoint him as Florida's surgeon general.

And all this could just be the beginning. Public records uncovered by independent journalist Jason Garcia, later picked up by other media outlets, showed that DeSantis’ office developed a more sweeping plan to overhaul higher education that didn’t make it past the concept stage.

The plan would have “centralized more power in boards run by the governor’s political appointees, made colleges and universities more dependent on money controlled by politicians in Tallahassee, and imposed more restrictions on what schools can teach,” Garcia reported.

With DeSantis running for reelection as governor and possibly for president, he is likely to revive such ideas to score points with his right-wing base. We’ll see whether UF’s reputation has been harmed when U.S. News releases its latest rankings this fall.

Perry said he's more concerned that UF provides a great education than with the rankings.

“I think the education of the student is more important than the ranking of the university,” he said.

Unfortunately, actions taken by state officials may end up damaging both — no matter how much funding lawmakers approve.

Nathan Crabbe is The Sun's opinion and engagement editor. Follow him on social media at twitter.com/nathancrabbe and facebook.com/nathancrabbe.

Join the conversation

Share your opinions by sending a letter to the editor (up to 200 words) to letters@gainesville.com. Letters must include the writer's full name and city of residence. Additional guidelines for submitting letters and longer guest columns can be found at bit.ly/sunopinionguidelines.

Journalism matters. Your support matters.

Get a digital subscription to the Gainesville Sun. Includes must-see content on Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com, breaking news and updates on all your devices, and access to the eEdition. Visit www.gainesville.com/subscribenow to sign up.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Nathan Crabbe: UF rankings rise at risk due to DeSantis, Legislature