University of Florida eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion offices Chief Diversity Officer and DEI officers among those fired. UF fired 13 full-time diversity, equity and inclusion positions and ended 15 administrative appointments for faculty Friday. It also eliminated the office of the Chief Diversity Officer and ended DEI contracts with outside vendors, according to a Friday memo.

The memo follows a 2023 Florida statute prohibiting the university from spending state or federal funds on DEI initiatives, which was approved by the Florida Board of Governors in its final form Jan. 24.

The about $5 million that was previously allocated to DEI expenses will now fund faculty recruitment.

The office’s website listed it had three employees including CDO Marsha McGriff, Farrah Harvey and Wilma Rogers.

The memo did not disclose the future of the Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement, which received over $400,000 in the 2022-2023 UF operating budget, 85% of which was state-funded. The center oversees offices for Asian, Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ+ student engagement.

Employees fired will receive a 12-week severance pay and can apply for other positions within the university. Hiring for those employees will be fast-tracked, the memo added.

“The University of Florida is — and will always be — unwavering in our commitment to universal human dignity,” the memo said. “As we educate students by thoughtfully engaging a wide range of ideas and views, we will continue to foster a community of trust and respect for every member of the Gator Nation.”

In the days following the statewide ban on diversity, equity and inclusion funding, students at the University of North Florida are protesting the closure of their school’s LGBTQ+ center. Meanwhile, UF faculty and students are still unsure what the future looks like.

The Florida Board of Governors gave final approval Jan. 24 to a ban on universities putting state or federal funds toward DEI or “social activism” programs.

Gov. Ron DeSantis first passed the DEI funding ban in May 2023. In November, the Florida Board of Governors agreed to adopt a loose interpretation of the terms “DEI” and “social activism” through Regulation 9.016. Now, the regulation is approved and in effect.

The new regulation interprets DEI as advantages based on race, gender or sexual orientation, or the idea a group’s action is biased because of those factors. “Social activism” is defined as a goal to change a government policy or achieve a social issue.

UNF announced hours after the regulation’s approval that it will close its Office of Diversity and Inclusion, including its women’s and LGBTQ+ centers. The UF administration hasn’t issued a similar plan of action as of Jan. 28.

In January 2023, a state-ordered audit showed UF dedicated over $5 million — or about 0.14% of its operating budget — to “programs and initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory” for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Over $3 million came from the state.

The largest portion of funding was divided among DEI deans, directors and committees in UF colleges. Other high-funded categories included the Chief Diversity Office, Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Diversity and various humanities-based courses.

UF college DEI administrations

Nine UF colleges had deans responsible for DEI in January 2023. One year later, eight of those deans are still at UF — but none hold the same position.

Two of the former DEI deans have become simply “associate deans” in the past year. But six hold similar roles with differently worded titles. For example, the former associate dean for diversity, inclusion and global affairs in the nursing college is now associate dean for community engagement and global affairs.

Robert Thomas, former associate dean for DEI at UF Warrington College of Business and current assistant dean for DEI at Indiana University, overheard conversations about changing titles in response to DEI pushback before leaving UF in 2022.

The changed job names came in response to anti-DEI legislation. But most newly labeled faculty are simply continuing the same work under different titles, Thomas said.

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