A Fix investigation revealed that all 12 of Florida’s public colleges are working to encourage available debate through a mandated public policy business.
Kudos to a law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, pupils at Florida’s twelve public institutions have been able to hear from a variety of perspectives on pressing issues like immigration, electoral dignity, pot, and the Israel-Palestine issue.
According to the law, House Bill 931 has been in effect for about two years and is already working toward its goal of “advancing knowledge” through the brave sifting and narrowing of a wide variety of views.
The State University System’s twelve colleges were evaluated by The College Fix to determine whether they were holding conversations and creating a public policy company in accordance with the law.
According to Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow and chairman of legal studies at the Manhattan Institute, the bill “models civil discourse and provides students with knowledgeable conversation on contentious problems.”
He also serves on Florida Polytechnic University’s table and spoke in a conversation about academic freedom at the university in February.
On a telephone interview with The Fix, Shapiro also claimed that the act is a” little reform” but a “healthy one.”
An Air Force officer and a Northrop Grumman expert spoke in a discussion on the “intersection of personal values, expert knowledge, and the deep influence of service in defense-related careers” and the FPU continued to follow this advice.
In addition, a panel on getting hired in politics was held at Florida A&, M University in the first week of March.
In addition to public policy, discussions have taken place in other schools about government censorship and the role of science.
Professor David Ellis and Mike Benz debated the issue of government censorship online in December 2024 at the New College of Florida. The New College of Florida’s Mike Benz serves as the Foundation for Freedom Online’s director, while Ellis is the professor of comparative politics and international relations at the New College of Florida.
The college, which the governor has renovated, is DeSantis ‘ conservative trustees have hosted a number of public debates. For instance, Bill Nye and Michael Shellenberg debated whether science” can” save the world.
The discussion between Palm Beach University and Florida Atlantic University took place in November 2024.
The University of Central Florida held a panel discussion on the impact of immigration on Florida’s economy and society in November 2024.
Professor Irene Pons, a scholar in the university’s department of legal studies, Rene Gomez, the organization’s representative for civic engagement, and Dr. Maritza Concha, a professor in UCF’s public administration department, made the panellists.
In January 2024, the university also held a discussion about artificial intelligence.
embedded content ]
Florida Polytechnic University discussed election security in September 2024.
A debate about whether to require voting was held at the University of West Florida, along with discussions about free speech, social media, and the electoral college.
The legislation received praise from a national organization for higher education reform.
More states should take this legislation into account, National Association of Scholars ‘ Chance Layton wrote in an email to The Fix. The Campus Intellectual Diversity Act, a draft model bill, is available for legislators to use to pass such reforms in their states.
” Universities ought to be exploration centers. Sadly, homogeneity has spread across our campuses, according to the organization’s director of communications.
” There is no diversity of thought.” Without intellectual diversity, universities” strategize the exploration of the human condition,” Layton said. Our institutions are attempting to give students the best possible education through our model legislation, this bill, and others like it.
A full table with links to the universities ‘ events page and a discussion summary can be found here.
MORE: Brown University professor deported after attending a terrorist’s funeral in Lebanon
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida speaks on higher education reform, and IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT
Follow The College Fix on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
