The word around the state is that the Florida Board of Governors may give the final approval to Dr. Donald Landry to become the new interim president of the University of Florida.
The former Columbia University medical professor has received praise from conservatives for his “legal protections for dissenting speech on social media, including generally recognized conservative views,” noted USA TODAY.
Some news outlets are reporting that if Landry is approved, his duties will be to eliminate dollars that were going to fund DEI programs at UF.
Landry’s contract will stop “the use of any public or private funds from being spent on DEI or political or social activism,” reported the Gainesville Sun.
Dr. Landry’s annual salary is set at $2 million, and he receives an extra $500,000 bonus if the demands in his contract are met.
According to the Gainesville Sun, some of those would include appointing a permanent provost and filling interim dean positions with those who are “firmly aligned with and support the principles guiding Florida’s approach to higher education.
Review courses for educational value and eliminate those with “consistent low return on investment.”
“Keep the safety of UF’s students, including its Jewish students, and broader campus community as a top priority.
On the surface, Florida GOP lawmakers like what they see with this new appointment of Dr. Landry.
Gov. Ron DeSantis praised Dr. Landry and posted on X, saying, Landry is a strong candidate and has a “stellar record of accomplishments.”
