Gov. Ron DeSantis reshapes UWF board with conservative appointees

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed five trustees to the board of the University of West Florida (UWF) in Pensacola on Jan. 6, 2025, and three trustees on Dec. 19, 2024. The move follows his administration’s initiative to reshape Florida’s public universities, including limiting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Among DeSantis’ appointees, Boise State political science professor Dr. Scott Yenor was elected as the UWF Board of Trustees chair. Yenor has drawn criticism for his views on feminism, sexual liberation and “the dismantling of the rule of social justice in America’s universities.”

During a National Conservatism Conference, Yenor discussed the “evils which flow from feminism.” He has described universities as “indoctrination camps” and called DEI programs a “grave and gathering danger to national unity and state governance.”

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Yenor has advocated for eliminating certain academic disciplines, such as African Diaspora Studies, and possibly history and English departments. He has also called for sex-segregated education, proposed banning state employees from collecting data based on race or sex and repeatedly emphasized how women should prioritize becoming mothers rather than focusing on their careers.

Several students at Florida State University responded to the appointments. Third-year student Senanu Simpson called Yenor’s appointment “a step backward.”

“I think it’s very dangerous,” Simpson said. “Women have made contributions to our society in every way, and to say that their main goal should be to achieve motherhood, I think it’s not appropriate.” 

Kevin Runyeon said that Yenor “should not be influencing any kind of educational policy whatsoever.” 

“A man who’s afraid of femininity or acting feminine is afraid of being treated the way that they treat women,” Runyeon said.

FSU student Nikolai Rhodes had a different perspective. 

“I certainly don’t want women to be prevented from attending any kind of institution, nor do I want them to be discouraged,” Rhodes said. “That being said, conservatives do have a point when they discuss this in terms of birth rates. A lot of these demographic changes, economics-wise, take decades to play out, but something like a cratering population is going to be absolutely devastating.”

The appointments mirror those made to New College of Florida in January 2023, when DeSantis appointed six new trustees to its board as part of a mission to create a hotspot conservative institution. Soon after, the trustees removed former New College President Patricia Okker, replacing her with Richard Corcoran, a former Republican Florida House speaker and political ally of DeSantis.

Beyond the appointees, the move by DeSantis comes as part of a larger pushback against DEI programs in Florida’s education system. Along with UWF and New College, universities including UF, UNF, FIU and FSU have closed DEI-related offices in response to laws adopted by the Florida legislature. This includes HB 999, which heavily restricted DEI programs in the Florida university system.

“I’m supportive of the governor’s efforts to appoint strong, qualified individuals to college and university board of trustee positions across the state.” Turning Point USA at FSU President Owen Girard said. “It is true that the governor clearly opposes DEI and other hyper-partisan agendas being pushed on students by academia. I don’t believe that was the sole purpose of the appointments at UWF.”

Following the inauguration of President Donald Trump, efforts to limit or eliminate DEI programs have reignited in several conservative-leaning states. Trump’s focus on addressing what he terms “leftist indoctrination” in education has been reflected in policies pursued by state leaders like DeSantis, and his inauguration has coincided with a renewed push by state leaders to pursue similar initiatives.

Trump recently placed all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff on paid leave. Trump also issued an executive order dismantling all federal DEI programs and suggested that a recent plane crash in Washington, D.C., could have been a result of diversity hiring.

“I personally don’t like DEI initiatives, I believe in a more or less meritocratic system,” Rhodes said. “I think there may have been a place for it in the past, but I don’t think so anymore. I don’t think it’s fair for someone to be elevated on the condition of their race over someone else who’s more qualified.”

Simpson said there was a misconception that DEI was “just hiring unqualified minorities.”

“But that’s often not the truth,” Simpson said. “It’s someone who’s as qualified, if not more qualified.”

Among the other appointees are Adam Kissel, a visiting fellow on higher education reform at The Heritage Foundation, the organization behind Project 2025; Paul Bailey, an adjunct professor at Pensacola Christian College and a registered instructor with the National Rifle Association (NRA); Gates Garcia, president of Pinehill Capital Partners, who also serves on the Board of Visitors at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business; and Chris Young, founder and senior partner at the personal injury law firm Perry & Young. Rebecca Matthews, Rachel Moya and Ashley Ross were appointed in December.

“DEI has no place in higher education,” Girard said. “A component of higher education can, of course, include understanding our history and the mistakes we’ve made in the past. However, DEI is a classic example of certain groups attempting to push partisan talking points on race, gender and sexuality upon students when it really doesn’t even solve the problems they’re trying to address.”

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