Professors from across the country have long been lured to Florida’s public colleges and universities, with the educators attracted to the research opportunities, student bodies, and the warm weather.
But for a swath of liberal-leaning professors, many of them holding highly coveted tenured positions, they’ve felt increasingly out of place in the Sunshine State. And some of them are pointing to the conservative administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as the reason for their departures, according to The New York Times.
DeSantis, who was elected to the governorship in 2018 and was easily reelected last fall, has over the course of his tenure worked to put a conservative imprint on a state where moderation was once a driving force in state politics. In recent years, DeSantis has railed against the current process by which tenure is awarded, and with a largely compliant GOP-controlled legislature, he’s imposed conservative education reforms across the state.
I agree with most of what you said. One issue, and it’s a big issue, there’s one other group that won’t leave: the vulnerable. People who are too poor or don’t have support to leave will be left behind. It is their vulnerability preventing them from leaving that will likely be their vulnerability staying. The bad things happen gradually and you adjust for them a little bit each time, until you can’t adjust anymore and you’re stuck.
That said, I can’t blame anyone for leaving/wanting to leave.