Last Tuesday (April 26), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that may make it harder for faculty at universities there to retain tenure. The bill gives the Board of Governors of the Florida State University System the authority to impose a five-year review of tenured faculty, in addition to the yearly reviews they already undergo. Of the seventeen seats on the Board of Governors, fourteen of the seats are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Florida legislature. DeSantis framed the legislation as a way to keep faculty members’ political views out of the classroom and increase accountability.
In press conference held the day of the bill’s signing, DeSantis stated that, per the new law, the new five-year reviews will be performed by each university’s board of trustees, The Tampa Bay Times reports. Typically, many of the seats on the board of trustees at public universities are appointed ...
