UWF issued this statement: “The University is currently looking into this. This grant was originally awarded in 2017, with the most recent renewal awarded in 2022, prior to SB 266. We are reviewing all annual reports and have found no concerning activity, but we will continue to review.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Florida DOGE are touting their first “Gotcha moment” in their witch hunt to root out what they see as “wokeness” in all Florida universities and colleges, and, of course, they have targeted the University of West Florida.
Florida DOGE posted on X that it had found a federal grant that the University of West Florida received from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to train math and science teachers on how to promote social justice and cultural responsiveness in their classrooms.
Background: UWF has received several STEM-related grants from NSF over the years, including $1.3 million during President Trump’s first administration. That grant funded the studies of juniors and seniors who became Noyce Scholars while pursuing their UWF-Teach degrees. It also funded student recruitment, with a special focus on recruiting underrepresented minorities into the STEM teaching field. It was awarded in 2019.
- The grant “discovered” by Florida DOGE aimed to recruit, produce, and certify 19 STEM teachers for grades 6-12 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. The scholars participated in a two-summer social justice citizen science project.
- University of West Florida’s grant is the only “waste” disclosed this morning.
PAYBACK
Gov. DeSantis demanded UWF refund $800,000 to the federal government.
He tweeted this morning: “No Florida college or university should be focused on social justice or woke ideology over classical education. This money should be refunded as part of Florida’s DOGE efforts, which would add to the nearly $1 billion that Florida has already returned this year.”
- Last month, DeSantis told UWF and Pensacola to “buckle up.” Is this best he could come up with? A federal grant issued by the National Science Foundation?
From the Cheap Seats:
Former UWF trustee Scott Yenor posted: “I was told that there was no wokeness @UWF by @UWF and the Florida Senate. Guess it was an honest mistake, not a coverup by local politicians.”
Former county commissioner turned podcaster, Gene Valentino posted: “How about promoting classroom discipline so teachers can teach?”
Humm. What gives DeSatan (oops, will my comment be seen as a personal attack?) the authority and power to force UWF to return grant funds to the National Science Foundation?
Most federal grants in recent decades REQUIRED some kind of DEI-style training like that. UWF folks were probably trying to check all the boxes to get much needed support that the state is failing to provide. DeSantis wants to pull money that UWF brought into the community to train STEM teachers? Ok, does he have a plan for FL to pick up the slack? We need support for recruiting good teachers.