DeSantis and other southern governors seek to develop new accrediting commission in response to ‘woke accreditation cartels’

In a power play with other Southern higher education leaders, Florida is spearheading a new university accrediting commission in response to existing agencies, the governor says, that have a “monopoly of the woke accreditation cartels.”

Today, during a Thursday news conference at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced, alongside State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues and university leaders from Texas and South Carolina, that the states are developing a Commission for Public Higher Education.

“Florida has set an example for the country in reclaiming higher education—and we’re working to make that success permanent. That means breaking the activist-controlled accreditation monopoly,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Today, I announced that a new accreditor, the Commission for Public Higher Education, will offer an alternative that will break the ideological stronghold. With transparent, rigorous, outcomes-based standards, this accreditor will help ensure the Free State of Florida leads the way in higher education for decades to come.”

According to DeSantis, this new commission would offer a new accreditation model focused on student outcomes. Florida is establishing the commission with the following higher education systems: the University System of Georgia, the University of North Carolina system, the University of South Carolina, the University of Tennessee system, and the Texas A&M University system.

This is not DeSantis’s first attempt to go “rogue” around college accreditation in Florida. In 2023, Florida launched a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s accreditation requirements, arguing that the process unconstitutionally transfers power from the legislative branch to agencies that can dictate academic standards. A federal judge dismissed the complaint, despite Florida’s appeal of the decision. 

“I am proud to be joined by leaders of five other public university systems to establish an accreditor that will focus on ensuring institutions provide high-quality, high-value programs, use student data to drive decisions, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process,” said Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, State University System of Florida.

Florida has clashed in the past with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, also known as SACSCOC, one of the primary accreditors of colleges, and in recent years, a focus on DEI. Despite this, shortly after DeSantis took office in 2020, the State University System of Florida created a workgroup that, in its final report, concluded that the universities’ “Board of Governors is making a clear and steadfast commitment to prioritize and support diversity, racial and gender equity, and inclusion.”

In 2021, SACSCOC flagged a potential conflict of interest in Richard Corcoran’s candidacy for Florida State University president. At the time, Corcoran also served on the system’s governing board, which appointed university presidents, and SACSCOC warned that Florida State’s accreditation could be threatened if he continued in the selection process without stepping down. 

In 2022, Florida lawmakers approved and Governor DeSantis signed SB 7044, which requires institutions to seek accreditation from accreditors approved by the State Board of Education or the Board of Governors.

In 2023, law SB 266 became law in Florida, which outlawed state spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, but allowed for DEI initiatives to continue if required to maintain accreditation. 

In response to the possibility of a new accreditation agency, both the Florida Education Association and United Faculty of Florida released a joint statement following DeSantis’ announcement, opposing the move and saying the move “directly threatens the independence, integrity, and academic credibility of the state’s higher education system.”

“Accreditation matters because it’s the backbone of academic freedom, shared governance, and public trust in the quality of our institutions,” UFF President Teresa M. Hodge said in a news release. “This proposed state accreditor appears designed to align more with political priorities rather than academic independence. It seems to be the state’s latest attempt to exert top-down control over what faculty can teach and what students are allowed to learn.”

Andrew Spar, President of the FEA, expressed concern about how a new accreditor might impact teacher preparation programs and teacher morale.

“Time and time again, we’ve seen political agendas take priority over sound education policy,” said Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association. “The creation of this state accreditor could derail the very programs we rely on to train and prepare educators at a time when Florida faces a critical teacher and staff shortage. Even dual enrollment offerings for students could be disrupted. Students learn best when they’re free to learn and educators are free to teach—not when curriculum decisions are dictated by politics.” 

DeSantis did not indicate when the commission would be operational, but it would need to be approved by the U.S. Department of Education.