The College Fix

One applicant spoke about students’ race and admissions. Another criticized DEI cuts.

The search for a new dean at the University of Florida is on hold after Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed concerns about all of the candidates’ support for “DEI,” or diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Miami Herald reports.

“Once brought to the attention of the office, we worked with the University of Florida to halt the search,” spokesperson for the Republican governor Sierra Dean said in a statement Friday.

“The candidates’ previous statements related to DEI raised concerns regarding their ability to administer quality higher education under Florida law,” Dean told the newspaper.

The public college recently had narrowed down its search for a dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to four candidates.

Last week, the conservative X account Commies on Campus posted video clips from the candidates’ public interviews.

“The University of Florida @UF is hiring a new dean for its College of Liberal Arts, where 25% OF ALL UF STUDENTS are enrolled,” it wrote. “4 Finalists. ALL radical DEI progressives.”

The posts caught the governor’s attention, Inside Higher Ed reports:

In response, Bryan Griffin, DeSantis’s communications director, posted on X, “Thanks for flagging this” and said that UF leadership was “cooperative” and had “committed to holding off” on the hire. …

UF interim president Kent Fuchs sent an internal memo that same day confirming the institution had terminated the search, saying it was “inadvisable to appoint a new dean without the full participation of the next president of the university.” The university plans to restart the search process once a new president is in place, he said.

In one video clip posted by the account, applicant Kevin Knudson talked about admissions and students’ racial identities when he ran the university’s Honors Program.

Knudson, currently an associate dean at UF, said: “…we changed admissions. We were able to increase the number of African American and Hispanic students in the program and it cost nothing.”

Another finalist for the position criticized state and federal leaders’ cuts to DEI programs, the Miami Herald reports:

One finalist, Northern Illinois University’s liberal arts dean Robert Brinkmann, was critical of the Trump administration’s federal research funding cuts and legislation banning diversity initiatives.

“It’s definitely a difficult time, and I’m sorry that our country is in this space where this is happening right now for our students,” Brinkmann said in the clip. “Part of the reason why I’m interested in this job is, personally, I feel called to help a little bit as an out, older gay man to be here for people at a time of crisis.” …

The halted search marks a significant expansion of DeSantis’ hold over Florida’s public universities, reaching beyond his traditional role in selecting university presidents and trustees to include dean-level hires. It raises the question if future dean searches (UF currently has four interim deans) will face the same scrutiny.

At the same time, state lawmakers may be moving to rein in the governor’s influence. Just last week, the Florida House overwhelmingly approved a bill that would limit the governor’s role in university governance, including a provision barring him and members of his administration from discussing job vacancies. The legislation is still awaiting a Senate vote.

DeSantis has supported a number of higher education reforms in recent years, including a 2023 law to defund university DEI programs, The College Fix previously reported. The law also prohibits mandatory DEI statements in hiring and admissions.

Another law that DeSantis signed requires universities to host debate panels about major public policy disputes with conservative and progressive speakers.

MORE: Ohio faculty union advances ballot referendum to restore DEI in higher ed

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: A sign displays the name of the University of Florida. Katherine Welles/Shutterstock

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