Tag: board of trustees

Florida Gov. DeSantis-Backed College Trustees Push Creation of ‘Freedom Institute’ to Challenge ‘Cancel Culture’

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The Board of Trustees at the New College of Florida submitted a $2 million budget request to the state legislature Thursday in order to establish a “Freedom Institute” that will seek to combat “cancel culture” in higher education.

The trustees, a majority of whom were appointed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, say that the new institute will allow for the expression of dissenting views, according to the board’s July 6 meeting agenda, which outlines the proposal for the institute. The institute will also honor a commitment to upholding the right to free speech and will prompt civil engagement.

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Ohio State Board Passes Guidelines Affirming Free Speech and Intellectual Diversity

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The Ohio State University’s (OSU) Board of Trustees voted in mid-May to adopt a new campus free speech policy and a resolution affirming the school’s commitment to preserving intellectual diversity. 

The free speech policy is an updated version of one that OSU passed last August and creates a system through which students can submit complaints of free speech infringements, a requirement set forth under Ohio’s S.B. 135.

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Conservative Christopher Rufo Among the Appointees to New College of Florida’s Board of Trustees by Gov. DeSantis

Just the News

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed conservative activist Christopher Rufo and five other people to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees with the goal of restructuring the university’s curriculum to a “classical liberal arts model.”

Rufo, a Manhattan Institute senior fellow and filmmaker known for his activism against Critical Race Theory, was appointed on Friday along with Hillsdale College Professor Matthew Spalding, Claremont-McKenna College Professor Charles Kesler, former Emory University Professor Mark Bauerlein, Inspiration Academy founder Jason Speir and attorney Debra Jenks. 

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Ohio State University President Suddenly Resigns after Investigation

Hannah Poling

Ohio State University (OSU) President Kristina M. Johnson PhD, announced Monday night that she will transition out of her role as president in May 2023 at the end of the current academic year.

According to reports by The Columbus Dispatch, the university’s board of trustees asked Johnson to resign after an investigation was conducted by an outside firm into concerns about her which were raised by staff. What those concerns consisted of and the details of the investigation are not clear. Johnson allegedly had a contentious relationship with several members of the board and reportedly is being held personally responsible for the departure of at least two high-ranking university officials.

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Ohio’s Unfunded State Pension Liabilities Among Worst in U.S.

The Center Square
Ohio State House

Each person in Ohio is on the hook for more than $36,000 in unfunded state pension liabilities, one of the highest numbers in the nation, according to a new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Nationwide, unfunded state pension liabilities have climbed to $8.28 trillion, or nearly $25,000 for every person in the United States. ALEC released the latest edition of its report on pensions in all 50 states Thursday. The report, “Unaccountable and Unaffordable 2021,” shows just a handful of states with outsize pension liabilities accounting for a large share of overall pension debt in the U.S.

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University Trustees Meddling Raises Questions About Possible Conflicts

Grant Holcomb
Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University campus

Florida’s public universities have numerous outgoing board of trustee members and there has not yet been any indication of who will be replacing them. In fact, some board members are serving past their term and have been accused of hiring friends.

Ben Wilcox from Common Cause Florida, a government accountability group, said Florida law does not expressly dictate what happens when trustees continue in their post past their allotted term.

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College Instructor Charged with Battery of Anti-Mask Mandate Demonstrator

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A North Idaho College instructor has been charged with Misdemeanor Battery for allegedly assaulting a person holding a sign in support of the college’s Board of Trustees decision to repeal the university-wide mask mandate.

Rachelle Ottosen stood at the September North Idaho College Board of Trustees meeting holding a sign picturing a red circle with the words “Medical Fascism” inside and a slash through it. Ottosen told Campus Reform that she brought the sign to show her support for the Board’s August decision to repeal its mask mandate.

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ACLU Wants College Athletes to Run Track, Not Play Golf, Calling it ‘Among the Whitest of Sports’

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is pressuring Central Michigan University to bring back their men’s track and field team, citing that the original decision as having “far-reaching racial implications.”

The ACLU of Michigan blasted CMU for eliminating the men’s track and field program, but then adding a golf program, which it contends is “among the whitest of sports,” Central Michigan Life reports.

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Former Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Likely to Serve as Interim University of Tennessee President

Jason M. Reynolds
Randy Boyd

University of Tennessee’s Board of Trustees says they will consider appointing Knoxville businessman and failed gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd to serve as interim president, WJHL reports. The job could last up to 24 months or until the appointment of a new president at UT. If he’s appointed as interim president, Boyd has told the board that he will decline to be paid a salary. Boyd lost in a blowout primary election Aug. 2 in the Republican governor’s race to political newcomer Bill Lee. UT President Joe DiPietro said Monday that he planned to retire from active service Nov. 21, the university announced. Members of the public can preregister to address the board regarding the proposed appointment during a 30-minute comment period at the Sept. 25 meeting at the Visitors Center on the UT Knoxville campus. UT Board Chair John Compton said appointing an interim president gives the trustees time to plan for the university’s future. He and the other trustees, since beginning their work Aug. 1, have individually been meeting with and listening to key stakeholders, including legislators, faculty, campus leadership and alumni. Boyd is the founder and chairman of Radio Systems Corp., with more than 700 employees, offices in six countries and the…

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