Florida’s public colleges and universities, including FAMU, have been ordered to submit six years of detailed financial, staffing, and academic records to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ newly launched Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by tight deadlines in April, marking the first phase of a statewide audit targeting alleged “inefficiencies” in higher education.
The sweeping request, outlined in a March 26 letter obtained by Rattler Nation, demands institutions disclose every awarded grant, all non-instructional staff positions, research drafts, and even syllabi for review. The move amplifies DeSantis’ ongoing campaign to reshape Florida’s higher education system, which has already seen the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, curriculum overhauls, and politically charged leadership changes.
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Unprecedented data demands
The DOGE team, modeled after Elon Musk’s federal cost-cutting consultancy, gave universities two deadlines:
- April 18: Submit grant agreements, staffing records (including job titles, salaries, and remote/hybrid status), research output, and overhead cost policies.
- April 30: Provide abstracts for all published research, funding sources for projects, and staff assigned to specific initiatives.
A follow-up letter warned that additional requests could include course syllabi, facility usage logs, and administrative office reports. DOGE officials also reserved the right to conduct on-campus visits to “ensure full compliance” with state law and DeSantis’ executive order.
DeSantis’ justification: “runaway spending”
The governor has repeatedly criticized Florida’s university system for budget growth, citing a near doubling of its annual spending from $3.1 billion in 2016 to a projected $6 billion in 2025. “We need accountability,” DeSantis said at a March Board of Governors meeting, arguing that unchecked expansion of staff and programs has diverted resources from core academic priorities.
Broader implications for higher ed
The DOGE audit is the latest in a series of contentious higher education reforms under DeSantis. Since 2022, Florida has:
- Shuttered DEI offices and barred related spending at all public institutions.
- Replaced university trustees, including at New College of Florida, with DeSantis allies.
- Mandated curriculum reviews to align with conservative priorities, such as removing “critical race theory” from coursework.
A spokesperson for the State University System declined to comment on institutional compliance, stating, “Until these deadlines have passed, it is premature to determine who has been cooperative.”
FAMU in the crosshairs
The audit places FAMU, Florida’s only public historically Black university, under renewed scrutiny. FAMU’s leadership has not yet publicly responded to the DOGE request but faces pressure to reconcile its mission with the state’s efficiency mandates.
Critics warn of political overreach
Faculty unions and advocacy groups condemned the audit as a pretext to justify further cuts to academic programs or staff. “This isn’t about efficiency—it’s about control,” said Andrew Gothard, president of the United Faculty of Florida. “They’re mining data to manufacture a crisis and silence dissent.”
Further, the last day of classes for the spring semester is April 23, followed by a week of final exams. It’s among the busiest times of the year on campus for students and faculty. In some colleges, research faculty also teach classes.
With deadlines looming, Florida’s universities now race to compile decades of records, uncertain how the findings will reshape the future of higher education in the nation’s third-largest state.