Commissioner Nikki Fried Leads Open Letter to UF President on Academic Freedom

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried sent an open letter to University of Florida President Dr. Kent Fuchs on the University’s highly controversial decision prohibiting professors from testifying on the state’s new voter suppression law, which “goes against the school’s interest by conflicting with the administration of Governor Ron DeSantis.”

Signers: Commissioner Fried was joined in signing the letter by more than 440 alumni, students, faculty, and concerned citizens, who have pledged to hold University administration accountable and to refrain from donating to the University until the regressive new policy has been reversed. The signatories span states across the country, all corners of Florida, and UF graduates from the 1950s through 2021.

Fried – an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet – earned Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Florida, where she was Student Body President, a current Board of Trustees member of the UF Law Center Association, and a member of Florida Blue Key.

Background: Three University of Florida professors were barred from serving as paid expert witnesses in a lawsuit against the state’s recently-signed law suppressing voting rights. The decision has received intense nationwide criticism, with The New York Times writing, “the ban is an extraordinary limit on speech that raises questions of academic freedom and First Amendment rights.” This follows the University of Florida restricting other faculty from speaking on lawsuits against restricting felons’ voting rights and the state’s ban on COVID-19 mask requirements, two of Governor DeSantis’ political priorities. The national organization that accredits the university announced it will investigate if the university “conforms to standards for academic freedom and avoids undue political influence.”

The letter may be downloaded here or viewed here on Twitter, and reads as follows:

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Dr. W. Kent Fuchs
President
University of Florida
226 Tigert Hall
Gainesville, FL 32611

November 5, 2021

Dear President Fuchs,

As alumni, dedicated Gator fans, and concerned citizens, we love the University of Florida. Many of us have served the university in various positions as students and alumni; today, we are continuing that service by calling for an end to policies silencing faculty who are standing up for Floridians’ right to express themselves freely.

The University's decision to prohibit professors from exercising their constitutional right to free speech is wrong. In a healthy democracy, institutions of higher education are not beholden to the political winds. Instead, they are places where intellectually honest debates occur. The end of intellectual discussion – and the restriction of academic freedom – marks a turn towards authoritarianism. We cannot allow the University of Florida to facilitate that turn.

American history is full of brave men and women who risked everything to speak out for what’s right. Frances Haugen, Ida Tarbell, Daniel Ellsberg, and countless others faced censure and the loss of livelihood to tell the truth and to inform the public of grave injustices.

The faculty of the University of Florida are right to speak out against attacks on Floridians' rights to choose their leaders, the cornerstone of our democracy. We stand with the faculty, the students, and alumni across Florida and our country who oppose this move by the University administration.

Gator Nation knows what it takes to stand up and fight – together, we are an unstoppable force for good. We won't back down. That’s why we are pledging to hold the University administration accountable, and refraining from donating to the University until your institution has dropped this dangerous and backwards policy.

Sincerely,


Nicole Fried
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture

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