The College Fix

ANALYSIS: All twelve public universities in Florida are promoting open debate through a mandated public policy office, a Fix study found

Students at Florida’s twelve public universities have been able to hear multiple viewpoints on important topics such as immigration, election integrity, marijuana, and the Israel-Palestine conflict thanks to a law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

House Bill 931 has been in effect about two years now and is already making progress in its goal of advancing knowledge which is “facilitated by the fearless sifting and winnowing of a wide diversity of views,” as the law states.

The College Fix reviewed the twelve universities in the State University System to see if they were hosting debates and establishing a public policy office as required by law.

The bill is intended to “model civil discourse and present students with informed debate about controversial issues,” according to Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute.

He is also a board member at Florida Polytechnic University and participated in a debate for the school in February about academic freedom.

The bill is a “small reform” but a “healthy one,” Shapiro also said on a phone interview with The Fix.

FPU continues to remain in compliance – it hosted a debate yesterday on the “intersection of personal values, professional expertise, and the profound impact of service in defense-related careers” with an Air Force officer and a Northrop Grumman engineer.

Meanwhile, Florida A&M University held a panel the first week of March about getting hired in politics.

Other schools have hosted debates on government censorship and the role of science in public policy.

In December 2024, the New College of Florida held a debate between Professor David Ellis and Mike Benz on the subject of government censorship online. Ellis is a professor of international relations and comparative politics at the New College of Florida, while Mike Benz is the director of the Foundation for Freedom Online.

The college, which has been remade by Gov. DeSantis’ conservative trustees, has hosted a series of debates, many of which are publicly available. Bill Nye and Michael Shellenberg, for example, debated if science” can “save the world.”

Florida Atlantic University held a discussion in Nov. 2024 about the “Israel-Arab Conflict,” an event co-hosted with Palm Beach University.

In November 2024, the University of Central Florida held a panel discussion on the role of immigration in Florida’s economy and society.

Panelists included Professor Irene Pons, a scholar in the school’s department of legal studies; Rene Gomez, the civic participation coordinator at the Farmworker Association of Florida; and Dr. Maritza Concha, a professor in the Public Administration Department of UCF.

The school also hosted a discussion about artificial intelligence in Jan. 2024.

In September of 2024, Florida Polytechnic University held a discussion regarding election security.

The University of West Florida hosted a debate on if voting should be mandatory, along with events about artificial intelligence, social media, free speech, and the electoral college.

A national higher ed reform group also praised the legislation.

“More states should consider this legislation,’ Chance Layton with the National Association of Scholars told The Fix via email. “We have a draft model legislation, The Campus Intellectual Diversity Act, that legislators can use to enact such reforms in their states.”

“Universities ought to be centers of exploration. Unfortunately, homogeneity has spread across our campuses,” the group’s director of communications said.

“Diversity of thought is absent. Without intellectual diversity, universities stunt the exploration of the human condition,” Layton said. “Our model legislation, this bill, and others like it seek to change that trajectory so our institutions can provide students with the best possible education.”

A full table with links to the universities’ events page along with a summary of topics debate can be found here.

MORE: Brown U. professor deported after attending terrorist’s funeral in Lebanon

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks on higher education reform; Governor Ron DeSantis/Facebook

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter