—UWF Board Approves New Center with $1.5 Million Federal Grant—
The University of West Florida Board of Trustees approved last Wednesday the creation of the Academy of American Civic Republicanism Center, a $1.5 million initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education that aims to improve civics education across Northwest Florida—but not without debate over whether the name could create public confusion.
- Chief of Staff Clifford Humphrey, who presented the proposal, said the three-year grant “enables the University of West Florida to set up an academy and has seed money to be able to do programming and to explore the possibility of establishing a degree program related to civic republicanism.”
Its launch aligns with preparations for America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
Concerns Over Branding
Several trustees raised concerns about potential confusion between “republicanism” and the Republican Party, despite the term’s origins in ancient Greece and Rome.
Faculty Senate President and Trustee Heather Riddell warned about “public perception and optic” issues, saying: “We are assuming that they understand the terminology, and I think that assumption and the fact that there is still support that has to come from publicly funded entities here at the university, that we should consider a more neutral term.”
- Trustee Alonzie Scott agreed perception could be problematic: “The perception will be out there, and we will have to deal with that. And that will come up, and this board will probably have to have some conversation if someone may at some point decide to file a case against the university based on this program.”
However, Humphrey rejected the concerns: “This tradition goes back to ancient Greece and Rome and was really formally set up in the Renaissance. So it has absolutely nothing to do with the modern-day Republican party.”
- Dig Deeper: Humphrey earned both his Master of Arts and Ph.D. in politics from the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship at Hillsdale College, the conservative private college after which Gov. DeSantis has tried to pattern New College of Florida.
Strong Support from DeSantis Appointees
Trustee Adam Kissel defended the name, calling concerns “an unfortunate aspect of political correctness,” adding: “Republicanism no more means the Republican party than when we talk about our democracy, that somehow that would mean the Democratic Party.”
Trustee Zack Smith congratulated the university on securing the competitive federal grant, calling it “quite a coup” and noting the Constitution itself guarantees states “a Republican form of government.”
- New Rules: Words “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion” are not politically correct for these two trustees, but “republicanism” is okay.
Training Teachers, Reaching Students
The Academy will conduct summer institutes annually for 60 K-12 educators, primarily from Title I schools. Over three years, the program expects to train 180 teachers who collectively serve approximately 4,500 students.
- Teachers will receive training in primary source analysis, place-based learning at historic Pensacola sites, and debate instruction through the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative.
UWF plans to pilot two undergraduate courses serving 40 students annually. Humphrey emphasized: “We’re not asking the board right now to authorize a new degree program; that is something that we hope will come with the progress of this academy.”
- The Academy will also host public programming, including guest lectures for Constitution Day and Presidents’ Day, debates, and an annual conference.
Implementation begins in January 2026. The board unanimously approved the center despite the naming debate.