Liberal professors flee Florida under Ron DeSantis as over a dozen give up tenures and head as far as Canada – after moaning about the Governor’s war on woke in colleges

The sun is setting on liberal professors in the Sunshine State as Ron DeSantis' war on Wake begins to sting, with some accusing the governor of “open hostility” toward higher education.

Revenue at the University of Florida has risen by a quarter in the past two years after a slew of new laws clamped down on diversity, trans rights and jobs for life.

And the number of tenured professors leaving Florida State University has risen by half, as university authorities struggle to attract replacements, with the state's academics even looking to Canada for new opportunities.

“We've seen more people withdraw their applications, or just say, 'No, I'm not interested, it's Florida,'” said Danaya C. Wright, a law professor at the University of Florida.

DeSantis has made education reform a cornerstone of his governorship, vowing to “push back against liberal elites who suppress freedom of thought in the name of identity politics and indoctrination.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis has cut all federally funded DEI spending at Florida's public colleges and universities and has begun a purge of their governing boards

Psychology professor Walter Boot is leaving Florida State University for Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, and education professor Hope Wilson is leaving the University of North Florida for a new job at Northern Illinois University.

DeSantis has promised that all students graduating from public universities in Florida will be required to study “current history and current philosophy that has shaped Western civilization.”

He abolished diversity programs at state-funded universities and vigorously used his powers to overhaul their governing bodies.

And employee turnover at the University of Florida Law School has now reached 30 percent, with many blaming it on “political interference.”

Professor Maryam Jamshidi, who left school for the University of Colorado Boulder, said a 2021 law allowing students to record their professors in class left some concerned that their lectures would be replayed on Fox News.

“As a Muslim woman who deals with issues of racism and American power, I didn't feel like UF was a place where I could safely be myself and do my work,” she told The New York Times.

Psychology professor Walter Boot is leaving for Weill Cornell Medicine in New York and he blames last year's “Don't Say Gay” law, which restricts gender education even though it only applies to primary schools.

“The lead-up and aftermath of its introduction involved hostile rhetoric portraying queer and trans individuals as pedophiles and 'groomers', rhetoric that came not only from citizens but also from state officials,” he told the Tallahassee Democrat.

“It's been really hard, from a day-to-day perspective, not feeling comfortable or even safe where I live.”

The crackdown on diversity has convinced education professor Hope Wilson to leave the University of North Florida for a new job at Northern Illinois University.

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo (left) has described the departures as a “net gain for Florida,” but Dr. Neil H. Buchanan, who is leaving for Toronto, says they signal an attack on academic freedom.

She has a transgender child and was active in providing LGBT support at the university, but grew tired of the state's demands for more information about what services they provided and how much they cost.

“It just felt very dystopian,” she told the Times.

“Florida is not a state where I can raise my family or do my job.”

And the governor's attack on permanent professor positions is also causing an exodus of those who previously had exceptional job security.

In February, he labeled them the “major deadweight costs” faced by colleges and warned that government officials would lose their jobs “if they do not perform to expectations.”

That was enough for economist Dr. Neil H. Buchanan, who left his job at the University of Florida for a teaching job in Toronto.

“It's not just that the laws are so vague and clearly designed to chill speech that DeSantis doesn't like,” he said.

“It's that at the same time they took away the benefit of having tenured faculty to stand up for what's right.”

“The Republicans running Florida are wasting one of the state's most important assets by pushing out professors who otherwise wouldn't have wanted to leave.”

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo was appointed by DeSantis to the board of New College in Sarasota and said he welcomed the wave of departures.

“To me, this is a net win for Florida,” he explained.

Rufo's attack on diversity programs as a trustee of New College sparked student protests on the Florida campus – pictured here in May 2023

“Professors who want to practice DEI-style racial discrimination, facilitate the sexual amputation of minors, and replace science with partisan activism are free to do so elsewhere. Good riddance.'

And Dr. Sarah D. Lynne, of the University of Florida Senate, cautioned against reading too much into the move from a state where academic staff turnover remains lower than average.

“Florida is not really a unique scenario when it comes to the politicization of higher education,” she added. “It's a beautiful state to live in and we have great students, so we're staying.”