DeSantis probe of Florida college 'diversity' spending set to uncover wasted ... trends now
Education watchdogs have welcomed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's order for state universities to disclose their spending on diversity and CRT programs, saying it will lift the lid on millions of dollars of wasted public funds every year.
Analysts at The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and other think tanks told DailyMail.com that spending on 'diversity, equity, inclusion' (DEI) schemes at public universities was out of control.
Studies from public colleges in North Carolina, Ohio, and Michigan have shown an explosion of DEI jobs in recent years — with some earning up to $500,000 per year — costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
DEI staff now make up more than 3.4 positions for every 100 tenured professors, according to nationwide research by The Heritage Foundation, stoking fears of a ballooning sector that some say is no more than a woke box-ticking exercise.
Jenna Robinson, president of the Martin Center, said DeSantis' order would expose much more about DEI largesse than is known now, as it requires a tally of all costs — not just salaries — as well as spending on Critical Race Theory (CRT) schemes.
'Although some work has already been done to expose the growing DEI staff costs at universities across the country, Florida's investigation will be by far the most comprehensive,' Robinson told DailyMail.com.
'Higher education is in dire need of this kind of transparency.'
DeSantis, a Republican, wants public Florida universities to disclose all government funds spent toward programs, classes and other initiatives related to DEI and CRT, part of his efforts to zero-in on education in his second term as governor.
Florida higher education systems that receive state funding will have to provide a list of diversity and race-related programs, which includes the staff hired to teach or advise these groups or classes, according to a memo.
DEI and CRT are front lines in America's culture wars, with liberals saying they help address the nation's racist past, and conservatives slamming a lefty elite's bid to reshape society by the back door.
According to Robinson, DeSantis' probe is broader than those seen elsewhere, including her own group's study of the University of North Carolina System of 16 colleges, which uncovered more than $12 million spent on DEI staff salaries.
A University of South Florida student protesting against the lack of black student enrollment at the school in Tampa in July 2020. A debate rages over whether hiring 'diversity' administrators gets more minorities into schools
Prospective students and their families take a tour of the campus of the University of Central Florida last February. Gov DeSantis wants the state's public schools to reveal details about their spending on diversity and CRT schemes
This included 11 DEI administrators at UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University earning more than $100,000 per year. The schools' 30-strong diversity team was growing and 'would soon include deans and associate deans,' researchers said.
Likewise, a probe of Ohio State University by The College Fix in 2018 lifted the lid on 88 diversity-related administrators, including deans, provosts, and directors, costing some $7.3 million in salaries and benefits.
Mark Perry, an
