4 thoughts on “Daily Outtakes: The Fight for UWF’s Soul—Dr. Judy Bense Speaks Out”
It’s an indictment of Ron Desantis and his pandering “culture war,” AKA abrogation of Florida citizen’s Constitutional rights, that he feels the need to attack UWF. UWF has steadfastly increased enrollment, student achievement outcomes, and it’s standing amongst Florida’s higher education heavyweights.
It’s a petty vendetta from a discouraged prom queen.
UWF is a model for higher education and community interactions. It’s an economic driver. It contributes a sense of community and a rally point for collaboration.
Why would the governor appoint people from outside the community? Makes no sense. Local folks have a much better grasp of why a local institution needs than an outsider. Maybe have one or two that are not local, but I could see a foreign block of people coming in with ideas not shared that would disrupt more than lead. Look at some of the liberal states with the anti this or anti that paid disruptors that are allowed to create pandemonium and dissention. But I guess my question is, “What brought all this on?”.
The Governor now makes six appointees, two appointments are on-campus appointments based by position, and the board then appoints five more. Thirteen is way too many. The Florida Legislature should propose a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2026 to change the process. Why not limit the Governor to just one appointee who serves during the term of office of the Governor? Also, let each board of county commissioners make one appointment to all board in their county? If a campus is predominantly located within the boundaries of a municipality, let the governing body of the municipality make one appointment too. If the main campus is not located in a municipality, and UWF is not being out in Unincorporated Escambia County, let the governing body of the “county seat” (the City of Pensacola in Escambia County) make the third appointment. And, let the county school board make an appointment This brings the board up to four members. The three “local” appointees will ensure the board has some “local” skin in the game. Perhaps also the four appointees mentioned above could then make three appointments with each person a graduate of the university/college? A seven-person board should be plenty.
I intend to be at that townhall meeting. Thank you for this article.
Comments are closed.
Rules for Comments
Your comments are welcomed, but there are some rules to follow:
(1) Be Nice. No comments that slander another, no racism, no sexism, no personal attacks.
(2) No Harrassing Comments.
(3) No Libel. That’s saying something is not true about someone. Don’t do it.
(4) Keep it clean. Nothing vulgar, obscene, or sexually related. No profanity or obvious substitutions.
(5) I reserve the right to remove any comments that violate our rules or are inappropriate. I am not responsible for what is posted. Comments may not appear right away until they are approved by a moderator.
(6) Limit your comments to the subject in this story only, and limit comments to 1,500 characters or less. Do not post copyrighted material. Comments will not be added to stories that are over five days old.
(7) No posts may advertise a commercial business, political candidate, or political group. Links in a comment aren’t allowed.
8) Commenting too many times may result in your comments not being allowed. Readers will begin to ignore your views.
9) Email me if you believe a comment violates any of these rules, and it will be deleted.
It’s an indictment of Ron Desantis and his pandering “culture war,” AKA abrogation of Florida citizen’s Constitutional rights, that he feels the need to attack UWF. UWF has steadfastly increased enrollment, student achievement outcomes, and it’s standing amongst Florida’s higher education heavyweights.
It’s a petty vendetta from a discouraged prom queen.
UWF is a model for higher education and community interactions. It’s an economic driver. It contributes a sense of community and a rally point for collaboration.
Why would the governor appoint people from outside the community? Makes no sense. Local folks have a much better grasp of why a local institution needs than an outsider. Maybe have one or two that are not local, but I could see a foreign block of people coming in with ideas not shared that would disrupt more than lead. Look at some of the liberal states with the anti this or anti that paid disruptors that are allowed to create pandemonium and dissention. But I guess my question is, “What brought all this on?”.
The Governor now makes six appointees, two appointments are on-campus appointments based by position, and the board then appoints five more. Thirteen is way too many. The Florida Legislature should propose a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2026 to change the process. Why not limit the Governor to just one appointee who serves during the term of office of the Governor? Also, let each board of county commissioners make one appointment to all board in their county? If a campus is predominantly located within the boundaries of a municipality, let the governing body of the municipality make one appointment too. If the main campus is not located in a municipality, and UWF is not being out in Unincorporated Escambia County, let the governing body of the “county seat” (the City of Pensacola in Escambia County) make the third appointment. And, let the county school board make an appointment This brings the board up to four members. The three “local” appointees will ensure the board has some “local” skin in the game. Perhaps also the four appointees mentioned above could then make three appointments with each person a graduate of the university/college? A seven-person board should be plenty.
I intend to be at that townhall meeting. Thank you for this article.