University of Florida Guts DEI Offices and Fires All Staff Over New Statute
The University of Florida cut all of its staff positions relating to diversity, equity and inclusion and shuttered the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer to comply with a state mandate, the school announced in a memo on Friday.
“To comply with the Florida Board of Governor’s regulation 9.016 on prohibited expenditures, the University of Florida has closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, eliminated DEI positions and administrative appointments, and halted DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors,” the memo from provost J. Scott Angle and two vice presidents reads.
The announcement assured 12 weeks of severance pay for all employees “whose positions were eliminated.” The provost and vice presidents said these employees would be fast-tracked through applications processes in other university offices, in an attempt to resettle them within the institution.