Press Release

The United Faculty of Florida (UFF) questions the legality of nominating U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse as the sole candidate for University of Florida (UF) president. In mid-October, Florida state Sen. Jeff Brandes — who co-sponsored the bill that took Florida’s university and college presidential searches out of the sunshine — stated that UF’s recent search resulting only in Sen. Sasse violated the spirit of the law (source link). At UFF, we believe that it violates the letter of the law as well.

If Gov. DeSantis and Florida’s legislative leaders demonstrated anything during today’s press conference, it is that they fundamentally do not understand how Florida’s higher education system
works. Tenure protects the right of faculty to teach and research honestly and accurately without the
threat of politicians who would fire them for doing their jobs, and it protects the rights of students to
learn about whatever interests them without being told by big government how to live their lives.

Earlier today, Judge Mark E. Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida denied the state’s motion to dismiss UFF’s lawsuit. UFF continues to call for all members of the higher education community to boycott this
survey in order to protect fundamental freedoms on Florida’s university and college campuses as our lawsuit continues through the federal court system.