Preliminary Report of the Special Committee on Academic Freedom and Florida

In January 2023, the AAUP announced the establishment of a special committee to review an apparent pattern of politically, racially, and ideologically motivated attacks on public higher education in Florida. Since then, the undersigned members of this special committee have interviewed more than forty faculty members and a former president at multiple public Florida colleges and universities, and have immersed themselves in a dizzying array of documents and media reports. The efforts thus far have led the committee to conclude that academic freedom, tenure, and shared governance in Florida's public colleges and universities currently face a politically and ideologically driven assault unparalleled in US history. Initiated and led by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican majority in the state legislature, this onslaught, if sustained, threatens the very survival of meaningful higher education in the state, with the direst implications for the entire country. Based on the work thus far, the committee believes a number of AAUP principles and standards may be implicated, including those articulated in statements and reports such as the 1940 "Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure"; the 1966 "Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities"; "The Freedom to Teach"; "Freedom in the Classroom"; the "Statement on Collective Bargaining"; and "Faculty Participation in the Selection, Evaluation, and Retention of Administrators." Because of the massive scope of this coordinated attack and the continued unfolding of events, the committee is deferring preparation of a more complete and thorough final report, which will discuss the pertinent Association-supported standards in detail. This preliminary report highlights some initial findings and patterns, reserving a complete and more detailed assessment of the situation for the final report.