As part of a 2022 initiative to improve higher education in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation for the review of all tenured professors in public colleges around the state.
According to reporting by Politico, 91 percent of faculty members obtained bonuses or salary increases for at least meeting or surpassing their institutions’ expectations as a result of the first review process since the law’s enactment.
Politico reports that more than 60 professors were given one more year to improve their teaching, while 10 professors were fired. The review process will be completed every five years as a way to maintain quality in teaching.
Approximately 20 percent of the state’s public university teachers were evaluated for the first time under the new post-tenure review process.
After signing Senate Bill 7044 in April 2022, DeSantis remarked that “Florida’s public college and university system is number one in the country because we put students first.”
“Florida’s students deserve a quality, affordable education and don’t need ideological activists and political organizations determining what they should learn,” he noted. “By ushering in strong curriculum transparency requirements and providing accountability for tenured faculty, Florida is standing with students and parents across our state.”
Then Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls said at the time of the law’s passage that the “option for universities to complete comprehensive post-tenure reviews every five years will inject more accountability and enhance performance and recognition for those faculty doing exceptional work and help identify where improvements must be made.”
The law grants the Board of Governors the authority to adopt requirements over the post-tenure review process.
While a university board of trustees is enabled to adopt different policies concerning the review process, the Board of Governors requires that the evaluation include consideration of factors like: “The level of accomplishment and productivity relative to the faculty member’s assigned duties in research, teaching, and service,” “The faculty member’s history of professional conduct and performance of academic responsibilities,” “The faculty member’s non-compliance with state law, Board of Governors’ regulations, and university regulations and policies,” “Unapproved absences from teaching assigned courses,” and “Substantiated student complaints.”
“These audits show that the system is working as designed,” Florida spokesman Jeremy Redfern said, according to Politico.
“Governor DeSantis expects universities to focus on pursuing truth and preparing students to be citizens of this republic. Professors who exceed expectations should be proud of their contributions,” he continued. “However, there must also be accountability to ensure that professors at universities continue to perform and contribute to their university’s academic success.”
Originally published by Campus Reform. Republished with permission.
