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Tag: Florida universities

  • DeSantis orders Board of Governors to ‘pull the plug’ on H1-B visas in universities



    Credit: via Ron DeSantis/X

    Gov. Ron DeSantis is directing Florida’s top higher education board to prevent state universities from hiring foreign specialty workers, he announced Wednesday.

    At a Tampa press conference, DeSantis said the Board of Governors should fully “pull the plug” on the visas that allow foreigners in a specialty occupation to temporarily work in the United States, called H1-B visas. This comes a month after President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee for future H1-B visa applications amid his administration’s broader efforts to stop illegal immigration and roadblock non-Americans from working in the U.S.

    “I’m directing today the Florida Board of Governors to pull the plug on the use of these H1-B visas in our universities,” DeSantis said, likening their usage to “indentured servitude” and deriding how “troubling” it is that Florida universities are relying on cheaper labor — especially as workers nationwide are experiencing increased layoffs due to artificial intelligence, a DOGE-style of thinking, and federal furloughs.

    “We can do it with our residents in Florida or with Americans, and if we can’t do it, then man—we need to really look deeply about what is going on with this situation,” he continued.

    He then rattled off a list of assistant professors, coaches, data analysts, coordinators, marketers, and more university workers on H1-B visas from areas like the United Kingdom, China, Spain, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Russia, Poland, Albania, Argentina, and the West Bank, appearing increasingly incredulous at how these various positions were deemed specialty occupations.

    The Phoenix was unable to independently verify the list of professors and their countries of origin.

    “Why aren’t we producing math and engineering folks who can do this?” DeSantis questioned, after claiming one college had a power systems researcher from Wuhan, China. “[There’s] a clinical assistant professor from supposed Palestine. Why are they—is that just social justice that they’re doing?”

    As of June 30, 2025, there were more than 1,900 Florida employers sponsoring over 7,200 H1-B visa holders, according to the USCIS. There were a total of 78 employers and 677 beneficiaries in the education sphere, with the University of Florida boasting the most H1-B beneficiaries at 156, followed by the University of Miami with 90, and the University of South Florida with 72.

    These schools also have the three largest medical programs in the state. Thousands of H1-B visas nationwide are used by foreign physicians, although the majority of H1-B recipients are in the tech industry.

    H1-B visas have become a flashpoint in Republican circles, as party leaders like Trump and DeSantis urge less reliance on foreign labor while others insist that businesses need workers, NOTUS reported.

    The conversation erupted as an offshoot from the larger discussion on illegal immigration and America-first businesses, two of Trump’s top priorities during his 2024 presidential campaign and the subject of many of his day one executive orders. In the immigration sphere, Trump has ordered mass deportations, increased ICE presence, and allocated federal dollars to states assisting in detention efforts of migrants illegally in the country — led by Florida under DeSantis.

    This comes after Trump — in the early days of his term — stood alongside Elon Musk as they touted the new Department of Governmental Efficiency to cut down on alleged excesses in spending. This led to thousands of firings across federal agencies.

    Just as Florida reflected the national model on immigration onto the state level, DeSantis also created a state-level DOGE to audit state universities and local governments to search for waste, fraud, and abuse. That torch has been taken up by Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, who’s unofficially renamed the task force the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight, or FAFO.

    Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

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    Livia Caputo, Florida Phoenix
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  • Nearly a third of Florida professors looking for work in different state



    Citing state policy on tenure, elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and the cost of living, Florida faculty laid out their frustrations in a recent survey.

    In a Faculty in the South survey conducted by various conferences of the American Association of University Professors, 31% of Florida respondents said they have applied for a job outside of Florida since 2023. That number was 25% among all survey respondents in the South.

    The same, 31% of Florida respondents, said they plan to seek employment in another state during the next hiring cycle.  

    “The governor of Florida threatens at every turn to take funding away so administration at colleges don’t stand up to him or board of education.  I no longer have any motivation or creativity to make courses better,” a tenured professor at a public community college wrote.

    The survey focused on policy affecting employment, including whether faculty would recommend working in their state to up-and-coming academics, and trends in applications for faculty positions. It included nearly 200 responses from Florida faculty among its nearly 4,000 responses across Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

    The survey concluded with an open-ended question asking faculty to provide examples of how “attacks on higher education are directly impacting your work.” It did not report respondents’ identities beyond basic demographics like gender, race, tenure status, years of experience, and type of institution they teach at. 

    ‘Walking on egg shells’

    “Students report any classroom discussion they don’t like directly to the Governor’s office. Everyone is afraid all the time,” one woman teaching at a public four-year school wrote. “I have stopped teaching books that might be in any way controversial. I don’t open up general discussion in class but ask only direct questions that will elicit non-controversial answers. I need health insurance so I can’t just quit.”

    The state scanning course materials for disfavored viewpoints was a widespread stressor for many faculty.

    “Most of the courses I’ve taught for decades now violate state and university mandates,” a man teaching at a Florida tier-one research university said. 

    As of earlier this year, Florida institutions’ general education courses no longer contained “indoctrinating concepts,” State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues proclaimed in January.

    Florida universities have conducted a review, required by a 2022 law, of general education courses to ensure that they do not “distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics.” 

    “I’m continually worried that the content of my clases [sic] will be flagged as “DEI” because I am a historian of the Caribbean, a region mostly populated by non-white people,” one professor said. 

    One women’s studies professor described the effect as “Constant anxiety, walking on egg shells trying to anticipate what would be used against me/us.”

    More than a third, 34%, of Florida respondents said administrators have questioned syllabi or curricula choices for their courses. Among all states surveyed, half as many, 17%, indicated administrators questioned their curricula. 

    One professor said that since the state and federal government have made illegal “a wide range of Constitutionally protected components of speech and expression,” “I must break the law in order to tell the truth. Because I’m hired to tell the truth, and because I’m much more committed to the truth than to the law, I break the law. This means I am expecting to be arrested in front of a classroom any day, for actions that are illegal only as a result of the right-wing fad of the most recent decade.”

    Nearly three in four, 71%, of faculty in Florida who were surveyed said they would not encourage a graduate student to seek employment in Florida. 

    “I am going to take early retirement despite a great job and salary. The threats are real and I am exhausted, between fighting this and fighting AI and poorly prepared, lazy, unethical students,” a tenured professor at a four-year public university wrote. 

    Higher education funding cuts have been the subject of nationwide political debate, including Florida State University reporting that it lost $100 million in federal grants, although $83 million of that has since been reinstated, the school’s president said last week.

    About one-in-10, 11%, said they have had a federal contract ended by the Trump administration. 

    “The loss of vital federal grants has removed opportunities from me and my colleagues,” one professor wrote. “Attacks on LGBTQ students, immigrants, and diversity have also made it difficult to recruit promising graduate students or to guarantee their health and safety. Florida colleges being forced to remove diversity languages has destroyed years of valuable work, overturned an incredible general education curriculum, taken power and governance away from faculty, and wasted a lot of valuable time.”

    Tenure troubles

    Since 2023, professors in Florida with tenure have been subject to post-tenure review, graded on standards crafted by university trustees relating to research performance, teaching, service, and compliance with state laws and university policies.  

    Of the nearly-one-third who recently applied for an out-of-state job, tenure and DEI issues, academic freedom, the political climate, and cost of living were among the most common concerns.

    Respondents said the number of applications for coworkers’ positions, as well as the quality of applicants, have decreased. 

    “Our department is trying to improve, but we have had several failed searches in recent years because candidates don’t want to move to Florida because of the broad political climate and the fact that tenure protections functionally no longer exist here,” a tenured public university professor said. 

    Some faculty said they have not experienced problems with “attacks on higher education,” one stating, “I haven’t felt any — Florida is great!.” Another said, “They’re not, and freedom in the classroom still persists, and I am at a public university in… wait for it… FLORIDA…” 

    “I find that I’m having to spend more time explaining to students why they need to use evidence to support their views and why clear arguments are important,” a professor at a private institution wrote. 

    One professor complained that “our board of trustees stacked with heritage foundation members, our president was forced out and replaced by a republican politician.” Course materials face heightened scrutiny, this professor added. 

    “The climate of persecution, retaliation, and ideological imposition makes it impossible to teach my discipline accurately or well without opening oneself to disciplinary measures,” that professor said. “While New College got a lot of headlines, similar invasions of public universities are happening with no national press, leaving those of us who work here isolated and vulnerable to attack.”

    Gov. Ron DeSantis orchestrated a shake-up of the University of West Florida Board of Trustees in a more conservative light earlier this year and that institution is now led by a former GOP lawmaker.

    Results for the survey were collected throughout August and more than 60% of respondents said they are tenured. Last year’s iteration of the survey featured responses from about 350 Florida professors.

    “There is a lower threshold of critical thinking because everyone is fearful about what is ‘allowed’ vs. ‘banned’ by law. The fear and the self-censorship is widespread. Our administration, now saddled with a governor-imposed, unqualified hire as a President, is understandably more cautious rather than vocal about protecting academic freedom,” one professor wrote. 

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    ‘Florida’s strong population growth has collided with limited housing supply, pushing rents beyond what many families can afford.’

    It’s ‘receiving’ migrants as of Friday

    The judge issued a temporary restraining order in the case involving the estate of Hogan and Bubba the Love Sponge Clem





    Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
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  • Florida universities ramp up security for graduations as campus protests continue

    Florida universities ramp up security for graduations as campus protests continue

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    Photo by Mauricio Murillo

    Some Florida state universities have ramped up security and issued advisories for graduation ceremonies, amid an already heightened police presence on campuses because of a wave of student protests.

    Pro-Palestinian demonstrations stemming from the war between Israel and Hamas have led to the arrests of dozens of protesters on at least three Florida university campuses this week. With graduation ceremonies in the coming days or underway, some schools have reported increased security and signs detailing what is and isn’t allowed at commencement events.

    University system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues on Monday issued a memo to presidents of the 12 state universities, urging them to “protect the integrity of our commencement ceremonies and ensure the safety of our students.”

    “No commencement ceremony should be canceled, or substantively modified, as a result of unruly demonstrators. These ceremonies are important milestones for our graduating students, and we owe it to our students to see to it that these ceremonies take place as planned,” Rodrigues wrote.

    The chancellor, a Republican former state lawmaker, also authorized school presidents to “take any steps necessary to ensure the safety” of people attending commencement ceremonies.

    The University of South Florida has all of its normal security measures in place for this year’s ceremonies, which run Thursday through the weekend. Anyone who enters the campus Yuengling Center arena is subject to bag checks and metal-detector screenings.

    But extra security measures also are in place.

    “There is a heightened law enforcement presence on campus this week, including for our commencement ceremonies,” USF spokeswoman Althea Johnson said in an email.

    Rodrigues’ memo included a directive that university officials “promptly inform faculty, staff, students, and guests that protests, discrimination or harassment at commencement ceremonies will not be tolerated.”

    USF followed through.

    “All graduates have been reminded that the USF Student Code of Conduct remains in effect throughout the ceremonies and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. Anyone who disrupts, distracts or otherwise interferes with the ceremony will be subject to removal from the event,” Johnson said.

    Florida State University did not respond to questions from The News Service of Florida about whether security would be ramped up for commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday, but the school published an advisory online about prohibited behavior.

    “For the comfort and respect of all attendees, disruptions to the proceedings will not be tolerated. This includes but is not limited to outbursts, excessive noise, heckling, the use of noisemakers or any behavior indicative of intoxication. Violators will be promptly escorted from the premises to maintain the solemnity of the occasion,” the advisory said.

    The FSU advisory also included a list of prohibited items that included flags and signs. The notice also said law-enforcement officials would have discretion to prohibit additional items.

    Pro-Palestinian protests have shaken campuses across the country as the academic year ends. President Joe Biden held a media briefing Thursday to address the demonstrations.

    “We’ve all seen images that put to the test two fundamental American principles. First is the right to free speech, and for people to peacefully assemble and make their voices heard. Second is the rule of law. Both must be upheld,” Biden said.

    The president also said protests should not get in the way of graduation ceremonies proceeding smoothly.

    “Violent protest is not protected, peaceful protest is. It’s against the law when violence occurs. Destroying property is not a peaceful protest, it’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduation — none of this is a peaceful protest,” Biden said.

    Florida International University boosted security for its graduation ceremonies. FIU started holding ceremonies Sunday, with the events continuing through Thursday.

    “As part of the planning process and prior to the chancellor’s memorandum being issued, the FIU Police Department increased staffing levels at commencements and put plans in place to address potential protests. Fortunately, no disruptions have occurred,” Maydel Santana, a spokeswoman for the school, told the News Service.

    Florida Gulf Coast University, on a webpage including advisories for people who will attend commencement ceremonies over the weekend, has a general reminder that guests should “be respectful and courteous of others” and lists items such as signs that are prohibited.

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    Ryan Dailey, NSF

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  • Few students apply to Florida universities after DeSantis order to help Jewish students, others

    Few students apply to Florida universities after DeSantis order to help Jewish students, others

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    Photo via Fresh Take Florida

    At least five people in the United States have applied to Florida universities through Gov. Ron DeSantis’ emergency order to encourage transfer students across the country who feel they experienced religious persecution on campus after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

    The governor’s order announced last month waives application fees and, in some instances, grants in-state tuition to transfer applicants.

    Of the 12 public universities in the state, at least two students applied to the University of Florida, two applied to Florida Atlantic University and one applied to Florida State, the schools confirmed. Representatives of the University of South Florida, Florida A&M University and New College of Florida did not respond to repeated emails and phone calls over the past two weeks.

    DeSantis announced the order during his State of the State address, when he compared Florida’s response to the Israel-Hamas war to reports of antisemitism on other college campuses. He promised Jewish students around the country that Florida will “welcome them with open arms.”

    “Over the coming months, they will have a tough decision to make – pack up and leave or stay and endure continued hatred,” he said in the address.

    DeSantis mentioned only Jewish students in his speech and the emergency order cites only statistics about antisemitism, but any student can apply if they have experienced religious discrimination or harassment at their current university. Florida universities may require statements, photographs or official records from students to confirm they have a “well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of religion,” according to the order.

    The day after issuing the order, DeSantis clarified during a Republican presidential primary debate with Nikki Haley – just before he dropped out of the race – that non-Jews could also apply, saying the order was “…not just for Jewish students — [but for] anyone who’s being persecuted or being marginalized because of their faith in any college around the country.”

    It is unclear whether the students who applied through the order are Jewish. The privacy of university applicants is protected under federal law and schools must have written consent from students before releasing an applicant’s name and other personal information.

    “I think what Gov. DeSantis is doing is more political than actually intentional,” Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said. “In a state where we have Nazis parading around I-4 and policies that demonize LGBTQ+ students, a lot of students are looking for new places to go because they don’t feel like they can be themselves in Florida.”

    The order was DeSantis’ latest attempt at influencing how Florida schools respond to the war. In October, his administration through the State University System unsuccessfully ordered pro-Palestinian groups at the University of Florida and the University of South Florida to be shut down.

    Several public universities in Florida are among the schools with the largest Jewish student populations in the nation. The University of Florida, with 6,500 Jewish students, has the most.

    Amanda Press, a 21-year-old business management senior at Florida State University, said Florida universities are safer for Jewish students but, even at FSU, she has experienced antisemitism.

    “As much as the state can say that people making antisemitic statements are not welcome at our university,” she said, “if there’s a kid walking down the sidewalk and they yell an antisemitic slur, which has happened to me, there’s really nothing that you can do about that.”

    At UF, a pro-Israel flag and the Jewish student center have been vandalized.

    Shabbos “Alexander” Kestenbaum, a 25-year-old graduate student at Harvard, who is one of six students suing the university there over antisemitism, said most Jewish students he has heard from are looking to transfer to schools in Israel.

    “I can’t point to a specific university or college [in Florida] where students have said, ‘That’s where I want to go,’ but I appreciate the governor’s focus on the issue and standing up for a clear case of injustice,” he said.

    Across the country, student protests on college campuses have induced debates on university leaders’ responses to the war. Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT, in particular, received backlash after a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism with the schools’ presidents in December became heated.

    “For whatever reason, this has all turned into a political thing,” Press said. “Some communities are not as quick to say, ‘I don’t care what your political views are — being antisemitic is not okay.’ A lot of schools just aren’t saying that.”

    Though Press said she appreciates DeSantis’ order, she believes the reason few students have submitted an application may be a lack of awareness.

    “I had vaguely heard about it,” she said, “but I go to school here and I’m in student government. If I didn’t hear about it, I could assume not that many people know.”

    ___

    This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at [email protected]. You can donate to support our students here.

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    Lauren Brensel, Fresh Take Florida

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