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The University of Florida has closed its “Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, eliminated DEI positions and administrative appointments, and halted DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors,” according to an administrative memo published Friday.
The university will also reallocate approximately $5 million in funds reserved for DEI expenses, including salaries and expenditures, into a faculty recruitment fund, the memo from the university’s provost, general counsel and vice president for human resources outlined.
These actions follow a vote by Florida’s State Board of Education earlier this year to prohibit spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at 28 state colleges and a similar vote by the State University System of Florida Board of Governors last November to enact similar rules for the 12 universities in the system, of which the University of Florida is a part. (This paragraph was revised to differentiate the state Board of Education from the Board of Governors.)
The University of Florida’s decision resulted in the elimination of 13 positions and the ending of 15 administrative appointments for faculty, according to WCJB.com, a local affiliate of ABC News.
“These colleagues are allowed and encouraged to apply, between now and Friday, April 19, for expedited consideration for different positions currently posted with the university,” the university’s memo said.
Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican who has pushed for such anti-DEI measures, weighed in on X about the University of Florida’s move.
“DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities,” he said in a post on Friday that also included an article by The Independent Florida Alligator, the student newspaper at the University of Florida, about the elimination of the DEI positions, appointments and spending. “I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit.”
Several states have done just that, and lawmakers in other states, most recently Alabama, are attempting to do so. The moves are part of a campaign by conservative academics and politicians begun in 2022 to undermine efforts to increase racial diversity in American universities and turn public opinion against these initiatives, according to a New York Times investigation.
