Gov. Ron DeSantis vows to rid State College of ‘indoctrination’

BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) - Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference this morning at State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota.

DeSantis along with State University System of Florida Chancellor Ray Rodrigues spoke about curriculum changes. DeSantis spoke about getting rid of “indoctrination” in the collegiate education system.

The governor promised that if the changes were made to staff and curriculum he would provide an initial $15 million for faculty recruitment and scholarships. The college would then receive $10 million annually. Courses on campus must not promote “ideological indoctrination” with concepts like critical race theory or diversity, equity and inclusion.

“In Florida, we will build off of our higher education reforms by aligning core curriculum to the values of liberty and the Western tradition, eliminating politicized bureaucracies like DEI, increasing the amount of research dollars for programs that will feed key industries with talented Florida students, and empowering presidents and boards of trustees to recruit and hire new faculty, including by dedicating record resources for faculty salaries,” DeSantis said in a press release.

Specifically, the 2023 proposal puts forth the following requirements for education.

Requiring the State University System Board of Governors (BOG) and State Board of Education (SBOE) to review and realign general education core courses to make sure they provide historically accurate, foundational and career relevant education, not suppress or distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics;
Prohibiting higher education institutions from using any funding, regardless of source, to support DEI, CRT, and other discriminatory initiatives;
Requiring institutions’ presidents and boards of trustees to take ownership of hiring and retention decisions, without interference from unions and faculty committees;
Allowing institutions’ presidents and boards of trustees to conduct a post-tenure review of a faculty member at any time with cause;
Prohibiting postsecondary institutions from using discriminatory political filters, including political loyalty oaths and DEI statements, in the hiring process;
Requiring 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;
Requiring 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;
Providing additional responsibilities and clarifications for FSU’s Florida Institute of Politics, including renaming it the Florida Institute for Governance and Civics; and
Providing additional responsibilities and clarifications for FIU’s Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic Freedom.