Gov. Ron DeSantis Celebrates Florida's Education Record At Board Of Governors Meeting

3/26/2025

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) celebrates Florida's education record at a Board of Governors meeting.

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Transcript

00:00going through and debating that and you know, who knows like when you when you grow up here in Tallahassee

00:05They just developed allegiances and it is what it is. I

00:09Appreciate everybody here. We've obviously done a lot of great stuff

00:13I know a lot of people

00:14Have put a lot of effort into it and for people that are on the Board of Governors and you serve on the Board of

00:19Trustees

00:21You guys all have other pursuits in life. This is not anything you're paid for you put a lot of time into it and

00:27And I appreciate that and I think the people of Florida appreciate that and it's not easy and you do and I've appointed people through

00:34The years and sometimes like the chair of a particular board, but you know

00:38There's time commitment and I'm good with it and then you do it and you're like man

00:41It's a lot but I think if people find it rewarding and I think you can really really make a difference

00:45And so so thank you for doing that

00:47But I also just recognize that you know, you can only do so much sitting in these positions. We announced an initiative to

00:56Apply some of the things that are being done at the federal level with respect to doge particularly using technology IT

01:02Artificial intelligence to to do a deep scan of our operations at the state of Florida level

01:08We already do things in our agencies. We have the lowest number of state employees per capita in the country

01:14We have the lowest debt per capita of the country. We've done a lot of good stuff

01:18We're in a great spot, but we're never satisfied. So we're doing that and

01:22And I think we're gonna find a lot of successes

01:24I think we're gonna find room for improvement

01:27But we want to be able to do that in the universities as well

01:30And I know a lot of universities are welcoming this and I think the reason is is just you know

01:34There's just these are big institutions. There's a lot that goes on

01:38There are certain state policies that have been implemented such as the abolition of DEI

01:44Which I know on a superficial level the universities went and applied with but as we've seen, you know

01:50you kind of burrow in and rename do what you want and and there is some sense in some quarters that

01:57Whatever the law the state of Florida is just is not obligatory on them and they can kind of kind of do their own little

02:03Fiefdom that's not gonna fly here

02:05And so we want to look to see I want to make sure that our policies are being upheld

02:08We obviously want to look to see how the operations are being run. I don't know the answer to this question

02:14So I'm not accusing our state universities of this

02:18But I think if you look nationwide over the past three decades or so seen a massive increase in universities and

02:26administrative staff

02:27Huge increase and it almost parallels the explosion of student loan money that's gone out

02:32And so we've asked, you know, how is Florida doing in that respect?

02:36How are we doing in terms of the bureaucracies and the administrative?

02:41Are we are we a well-oiled machine is there room for improvement?

02:44So that's why we wanted to do it make sure that we're focusing and in implementing policies that are

02:51Spoken by the people of the state of Florida through their elected officials in most instances signed by me as governor, but then also

02:59How can we do this even better?

03:02Where's the room for improvement in terms of the operations and the bloat?

03:06And there's a lot of things that are happening that I think are really really good

03:10We were the first state in the country to do the post-tenure review all this other governor's asked me about this any time

03:17How'd you guys do that? How's it working out the number of?

03:21Talented people we've been able to bring in by the money that we've provided and the in the authority that the trustees and the presidencies

03:28Universities have to recruit good people. I mean, I don't think we've ever seen

03:32What we've seen just in the last couple years and I know we're just scratching the surface

03:36You're gonna see a lot more, you know, so that's really exciting. And that's that's the way that's the way it should be

03:41I'm also proud of the way the universities here have upheld the

03:47standards of conduct for the students

03:50Columbia University we saw that it was just mayhem there you had Jewish students being

03:58Basically attacked threatened they block them from going in there and the university leadership just basically shrugged their shoulders

04:05And it's like yeah, the inmates get to run the asylum

04:07It's not the way it works here in the state of Florida, and I know we've seen action that's been taken

04:13People can believe and say things that's different than your behavior in your conduct

04:19And you need to hold students accountable for their conduct and they must behave

04:24Appropriately and what I found is if they know that they will get kicked out or they know you won't give them

04:30Then all of a sudden you see much better behavior

04:33And I think that's what we've seen you haven't seen the problems at our universities that you've seen in some of these other places

04:40And that's really caused. I think a lot of people to look even more favorably at Florida universities

04:46I can tell you when I became governor you go up to like the Northeast

04:50They would never ever have said no, you know, I won't do Columbia with my kids or grandkids

04:57I'll send them to down to Florida. They just would not have said that part of it was unfair

05:01I think they look down on Florida education. They didn't really recognize the success that it already happened

05:08Prior to me arriving on the scene, but now all of people come up from around different parts of the country

05:14So, you know

05:14I don't know that I'd send my kid or my grandkid or advise my grandkid to go to

05:20Columbia or Brown or some of these places we can send them down to Florida and especially once you become a resident

05:26You got the lowest tuition anywhere in the United States, and so I think that that is a testament to

05:33Us keeping our eye on the ball

05:36Not letting these institutions devolve like they have unfortunately in other parts of the country

05:42Maintaining rigor and excellence and having really really good programs

05:46And people are noticing that and and you're gonna see more and more and there's a larger drift

05:51I think it's been reported like the Wall Street Journal stuff about people from different parts of the country

05:56Gravitating to the Sun Belt generally not just Florida, but I think we've really led the charge

06:00And so so for what you guys have done, I appreciate that

06:03I'm very excited that you guys are looking at the the curriculum the course offerings

06:09We can't be all things to all people. I mean some of these more

06:14You know the ideological studies and all that first of all, that's not my cup of tea

06:19But that's not what the people of Florida want their tax dollars to do people want that they can go to Cal Berkeley

06:25They can go a bunch of different places for us

06:27We really want to focus on what the classical mission of a university should be

06:32We've got some great programs across different parts of the state on things that are really really meaningful

06:38Where you're really challenging students, and you're making them better, so I would just say keep up with that

06:45Let's make sure that we're having that people read these course

06:49Catalogs, and they're not wincing as to why the heck that would be in there with with with, Florida tax dollars

06:54So we've really made a lot of progress. I know you guys are still working to do more, but but please

07:00You know continue on that mission because the contrast

07:04Between universities that are focusing on merit and excellence and and the core mission of the universities

07:10Versus those that have really drifted and have been focusing more on things like ideology and activism

07:17That that difference is growing starker and starker, and we stand to benefit as a result of that

07:23So we're I know that there's different discussion. We're in the legislative session

07:28I know some of you you know are probably meeting with the legislators about different budget items and this and that

07:35Since I've been governor honestly like I've been happy to support you don't get me wrong

07:40But they actually showed me how much the university's budgets have grown on the oppressed inside

07:45And I kind of I was like did we really increase that much so I'm happy to support

07:50We know it's important especially being able to deliver a high quality education at as low a cost as can be done

07:59Anywhere in the United States you do not I mean if you're a good student obviously and you score well enough you get your tuition

08:06Either free or mostly free through bright futures, but even if you don't do that

08:11You can work a summer job part-time

08:13And really you do not need to go into debt as a Florida resident going to a Florida University at all

08:19If you don't want to that's a huge huge

08:23Positive thing to have for a state especially as we've seen over the last many decades

08:28So many of these students just have massive debt around their neck

08:33100,000

08:34120,000 and

08:36Unfortunately a lot of times they have degrees that are not exactly light lighting the world on fire

08:40So we've gone in the opposite direction. I know we have different things to like some grandparents can qualify and

08:49Not everyone knows that but that's something that I think is neat

08:52I know we're working on maybe trying to expand that but just attract continuing to attract really really good talent, so I

08:59Know there's budget items are going to be discussed. I know there's other types of

09:03Legislation that people are talking here or there just know we've got a very good formula here in Florida

09:11And it's my intent as governor over the next two years

09:15To continue along that that trajectory to build off that success

09:21But we're not going to let anybody

09:24Derail us from where we're going and what we've been able to accomplish and and that's a

09:30In part to a lot of the people in this room and people who have served in various capacities that throughout our universities

09:36And so we're gonna stay the course. We're gonna keep keep working really hard and you know, our door is always open

09:43I know we've worked very well. I think with most of you over my tenure as governor

09:47We've got four of the top 50 public universities in the United States

09:51And I know we have others that are probably on a trajectory to get there at some point in the near future

09:57And that's something that we can all be proud of

09:59We can also be proud of that that we're really the state that so many people look to for opportunity and leadership

10:05So so thank you. Thank you for what you're doing and keep up the great work. See you guys later. Thanks

10:21You

Gov. Ron DeSantis Celebrates Florida's Education Record At Board Of Governors Meeting

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