Florida’s governor appoints five conservative trustees to the Florida Polytechnic board, a move some critics see as the start of a takeover. The latest round of university trustee appointments from Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida includes two notable critics of diversity, equity and inclusion practices in higher education who are joining Florida Polytechnic University’s board, part of the state’s ongoing quest to eliminate DEI practices in public institutions. On Tuesday, the governor announced the appointment of Ilya Shapiro, Dorian Abbot, David Clark, Sidney Theis and Clifford Otto to Florida Polytechnic’s Board of Trustees.
The Florida governor overhauled the board of trustees at a liberal arts college in Sarasota and tasked them with turning it into a bastion for conservatism.