During a meeting Friday, UF Board of Trustees chairman Mori Hosseini led the charge in sharply criticizing the professors and rallying around university President Kent Fuchs, though Hosseini appeared to misunderstand the scope of professors’ academic freedom.
University of Florida/Florida State
Congressional Committee Launches Probe into University of Florida Policy That Gagged Professors
In a letter to University of Florida President Kent Fuchs on Thursday, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties said the panel has opened a probe into UF’s conflict-of-interest policy used to silence professors, saying it “undermines the academic and free speech values that are essential” to higher education.
University of Florida Is Ranked 5th Best Public University in the Nation as Other State Schools Also Rise
Florida universities on Monday heralded their advancement in a national ranking of public universities, but none celebrated harder than the University of Florida after cracking the top five on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” for the first time.
Measure Forcing Colleges and Universities to Survey Students’ Ideological Viewpoints Set to Pass
The proposal also would prevent colleges and universities from “shielding” students, faculty and staff from any kind of speech. Opponents have argued the provision would allow groups like the Ku Klux Klan to come to campuses.
Senators Drop Plan to Dock Students’ Bright Futures Awards If They Don’t Seek Profitable Degrees, But Anxiety Remains
A huge outcry included a student-led opposition campaign causing most controversial parts of the bill to be eliminated. Opponents are now focusing criticism on whether the measure will jeopardize future funding for the program.
Lawmakers Still Aim to Penalize Bright Futures Recipients for Not Taking ‘Approved’ Majors
Under the amendment filed by Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, Bright Futures scholarships would be “reduced” for students who don’t choose an academic discipline deemed promising for job prospects.
Florida’s Colleges and Universities Are Suspending Students Who Flout Covid-Safety Rules
Florida university officials have started suspending fraternities and punishing students who flout coronavirus-safety measures, as schools grapple with cases of the virus at the beginning of the fall semester.
Florida’s Universities Prepare to Reopen in Uncertain Times, With Dozens of Covid Cases at 2 Campuses Already
The situation at some Florida universities has mimicked events in other parts of the country, where several colleges experienced an uptick in infections days after students returned to campus this month.
Florida’s Universities Weigh What May Be an Altered Reopening This Fall, With Emphasis on Remote Classes
FSU Provost Sally E. McRorie told faculty members in an email that it is likely the school will only offer in-person courses that cannot be done remotely. Many universities are considering keeping at least some instruction online.
Florida’s Public Universities Ordered to Shift to Online Instruction Only in Response to Coronavirus
As the deadly coronavirus continues to spread, “it has become clear that to protect the students and the residents of our state, proactive rather than reactive guidance to universities is necessary,” officials with the state university system said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon.