TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The University of Florida’s accreditor will be investigating the state’s flagship university over a decision that barred a trio of faculty members from offering expert testimony in a case against the state, a move that could be in violation of “academic freedom” and “undue political influence” standards.
Belle S. Wheelan, the president of the university’s accreditor, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges, said the accreditor will be sending a letter to UF President Kent Fuchs on Monday or Tuesday seeking information about a decision that blocked three professors from testifying in a case that challenges the state’s new voting-rights law pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The public university said the three faculty members — political science professors Daniel Smith, Michael McDonald and Sharon Austin — were not allowed to testify against the law because it could “pose a conflict of interest to the executive branch of the State of Florida” and harm the school’s interests.
After news reports made the university decision public, Wheelan said the accreditor plans to follow its policy on investigating unsolicited information to determine if the university is out of compliance with accreditation standards.
“The two that have arisen from the articles that we’ve read are the ones on impacting academic freedom and undue political influence,” Wheelan said in a interview with the Times/Herald. “If we find something else, we can always look into them as well.”
The accreditor’s inquiry was first reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
UF did not immediately respond to requests by phone and email seeking comment. The university will have up to 45 days to respond, and the accreditor will begin the investigation.
A report on the matter would be expected no later than June 2022, Wheeler said.
Depending on the findings, the consequences could range from being found in good standing to losing accreditation.
The state university system’s Board of Governors Chair Syd Kitson and Chancellor Marshall Criser III declined to be interviewed or comment on the matter.
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