Jeff Jarvis
One-third of faculty driven out by DeSantis
https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/07/18/new-college-florida-ridiculously-high-number-faculty-are-gone/
At New College of Florida, a ‘ridiculously high’ number of faculty are gone

Many frustrated teachers and researchers have resigned or taken leaves to look for other jobs, school officials say.

Tampa Bay Times
Jul 22, 2023 at 11:09amWeb
Show threadDr. Brad Rosenheim has moved!Jul 22, 2023
@jeffjarvis Important to note that this is by design. They want to replace the tenured faculty with right wing Christo-fascist sympathetic professors. The easiest way is through attrition, avoiding the legal battles of firing tenured professors who don't happen to teach or research exactly what the state wants them to.
Show threadPermacultureandpoliticsJul 22, 2023
@Brad_Rosenheim @jeffjarvis I worked for an asshole once who flat out told me my job was to make people who didn’t do things his way uncomfortable until they quit of their own accord. Then he wouldn’t be on the hook for increased unemployment insurance.
Show threadClebaykaJul 26, 2023
@Permacultureandpolitics @Brad_Rosenheim @jeffjarvis South Africa has labour legislation that allows for compensation when this happens. It’s called constructive dismissal.
Show threadPermacultureandpoliticsJul 26, 2023
@clebayka @Brad_Rosenheim @jeffjarvis I could have used that. He did the same to me when I wouldn’t make our employees feel bad about themselves. He did no obvious actions that could be used in employment hearings or discrimination lawsuits. It would have taken a lot of effort to take him to court and win against his high powered attorneys. I just gave up, as most of his targeted employees did.
Show threadaardvarkJul 22, 2023
@Brad_Rosenheim @jeffjarvis maybe we can get DeSantis to wear a pilgrim hat
Show threadDavid FowlerJul 22, 2023
@Brad_Rosenheim @jeffjarvis
Republicans don’t want real education.
They prefer their half-wit supporters are uneducated so they can fill their minds with vile propaganda. Like Russians, American Republicans no longer care about truth or fact or the real world.
All that conservative freedom. What a joke.
Republicans don’t care about freedom. They know education sets you free, so they destroy education. They are the enemy of free people everywhere.
Show threadcaseyjonesedJul 22, 2023
@davidfowler @Brad_Rosenheim @jeffjarvis Educated people cannot be controlled easily. Also they earn higher wages. To the GOP, that’s a bad thing!
Show threadCarlos MoffatJul 22, 2023

@Brad_Rosenheim @jeffjarvis also worth noting that tenure doesn’t protect you if the institution, backed by the state, is determined to fire you.

Tenure is in many ways an institutional norm and only truly protects faculty if administrators are committed to it as a concept.

Show threadDr. Brad Rosenheim has moved!Jul 22, 2023
@carlosmoffat @jeffjarvis Neither our university leaders or our state government are committed to #tenure as a concept. In fact it is hard to call what professors at public universities in #Florida have "tenure." I think one can make a strong argument that with a five-year review, we do not have tenure. Right now our government is on a crusade to recreate the miserable exploitative and extractive of USian history, but when they change their focus to #climate change and protection of the #environment I can hardly imagine my 5 year reviews going smoothly!
Show threadCarlos MoffatJul 22, 2023
@Brad_Rosenheim @jeffjarvis I would hope that the increasingly dire reality of climate change and the need to protect the reputation and ability to recruit in well known institutions like yours will win the day but yes, the job is stressful enough already and I’m sorry you have to be thinking about job security over everything else.
Show threadapophisJul 22, 2023

@Brad_Rosenheim @jeffjarvis i’d go even further and say they actively, knowingly want to destroy institutions of knowledge qua knowledge 🐍 🍎

EDIT: hell i can just cross out that “institutions of” but it might be skipping a step too many for my reply to be comprehensible

Show threadAndreas KJul 23, 2023
@Brad_Rosenheim @jeffjarvis
That won't help them if the students and the recognition from out of state will stay away.
Show threadDr. Brad Rosenheim has moved!Jul 23, 2023

@yacc143 @jeffjarvis You are right. But they think they are right too, and that their innovation in higher ed will have folks clamoring to come to Florida. As for recognition, well, a lot has been written about farcical #university #rankings are. #UF University of Florida had made it to #4 in the nation for public schools but fell in the rankings after the governor emplaced a surgeon general with ill-reviewed tenure on the faculty and the faculty conducted an opaque search for a president (landing on former republican senator from Nebraska, Ben Sasse). They sunk all the way to #5. 🤷

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public

Show threadPappyJul 22, 2023
@jeffjarvis By design of course. These laws work through attrition not any specific legal mechanism. Florida in general has a teacher shortage. The people who will take these jobs will be the ones that approve of or are at least comfortable working under these specific restrictions.
Show threadAllanJul 22, 2023
@jeffjarvis I worry that this just leaves positions open to be filled by the people De Santis wants.
Show threadEric VeyJul 22, 2023

@robotdad @jeffjarvis

He may very well personally reach down to the professorial level to arrange the hiring of people that swear allegiance to him.

He is already influencing city and county commissioners by issuing edicts and getting laws passed to remove local powers when he doesn't get his way on those edicts.

I would think that he would have other things to do and let staff and surrogates do this for him, but he is a micromanager and doesn't trust his appointees.

Show threadinnerspacegirlJul 22, 2023

@robotdad @jeffjarvis

that is clearly his plan.

Show threadDanatheoneJul 22, 2023
@jeffjarvis in 1974 I performed at New College while on a national tour with a comedy troupe… we were instantly struck by the high energy of the students and faculty… never will forget.
As it goes seems we are not allowed to have good things
Show threadTC Won't Give In To LiesJul 22, 2023
@jeffjarvis
What better way to remake a university, or a state, than to have your critics quit voluntarily?
Show threadAgoraJul 22, 2023
@jeffjarvis, how is that for freedom?
Show threadAriaflameJul 22, 2023
@jeffjarvis College towns lead to increasing numbers of progressive voters, so the GOP is doing their best to stop there being any.
Show threadMickJul 22, 2023
@jeffjarvis Florida is a fascist shithole.
Show threadebbtideJul 22, 2023
@jeffjarvis Why just a third?
Show threadMary MazzoccoJul 22, 2023
@jeffjarvis Just going to mention that "employs a sufficient number of full-time faculty members to ensure curriculum and program quality, integrity, and review" is one of the conditions for accreditation.
Show threadChu 朱Jul 22, 2023

@jeffjarvis

DeSantis is getting what he wants. Edumacation is bad for Republicanos.

Show threadAndreas KJul 23, 2023

@jeffjarvis Shouldn't the students simply sue the college?

Here even if a study course at a private university looses its accreditation, current students are allowed to finish their degrees.

The American way would probably sue the college, and the college can then sue the governor for scaring away so many faculty members?