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by Fox 49 Staff
SARASOTA, Fla. — Florida is positioning itself at the forefront of a national push for higher education accountability, with Gov. Ron DeSantis announcing that Florida has become the first state to respond to a federal call for academic and operational excellence.
In Sarasota, DeSantis hand-delivered a joint statement to the U.S. Department of Education signed by every public postsecondary president in the state. The statement includes signatures from all 28 Florida College System presidents and 12 State University System presidents.
The joint statement affirms the Florida College System and State University System’s commitment to “rigorous teaching, pathbreaking research where applicable, and service to the nation,” and outlines standards and priorities Florida’s institutions say they will uphold.
“Florida’s colleges and universities offer world-class opportunities for learning, research, and career pathways. We’ve ignored the noise and focused on merit, and the results speak for themselves,” DeSantis said. “Today, we led the way in answering the call from the Department of Education to affirm Florida’s commitment to rigorous instruction, groundbreaking research, and service to our country in higher education.”
System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said the federal initiative aligns with what he described as higher education’s core mission.
“Secretary McMahon’s Call to Action reinforces what matters most: higher education’s mission of educating students and serving the economic and civic needs of our state and nation,” Rodrigues said. “The State University System of Florida is proud to affirm the principles that have made our universities a national model for higher education. Florida remains focused on academic excellence through merit-based admissions, rigorous teaching and scholarship, meaningful public service, and a belief that intellectual diversity is critical to a marketplace of ideas. Our institutions will continue to offer a world-class education at the most affordable price in the nation.”
Education Commissioner Henry Mack said the call is a chance for colleges and universities to recommit to foundational goals.
“American higher education was founded to form free citizens capable of self-government and to advance the common good—not to chase fads, inflate credentials, or serve ideological capture,” Mack said. “It exists to prepare students for successful careers and to form citizens through serious engagement with the liberal arts and the enduring principles that sustain a free society. Florida has been leading the nation by putting students first, protecting academic excellence, and insisting that our institutions remain focused on the education and workforce needs of our state and country,” he said. “Secretary McMahon’s Call to Action is an overdue opportunity for institutions across the country to return to those roots and make those commitments clear and measurable. In Florida, we expect our postsecondary institutions to uphold rigorous academic standards, protect free expression and open inquiry, control costs, safeguard our institutions from foreign influence, and prepare students for meaningful careers and genuine service to the nation.”
Secretary McMahon’s National Call to Action asks every postsecondary institution in the country to publish, by the end of 2026, a public statement on its website outlining commitments to rigorous teaching, pathbreaking research where applicable, and national service.
The call also challenges institutions to examine and publicly address seven areas: admissions transparency and merit; free speech and protecting campus operations from disruption; intellectual pluralism and faculty hiring; affordability, cost containment and student outcomes; academic standards and rigor in the age of artificial intelligence; safeguarding research and academic programs from malign foreign influence; and prioritizing American students, American interests and urgent workforce needs.
Florida officials said the state welcomes the national call as an opportunity for postsecondary institutions to codify and publicly communicate reforms already implemented and underway, while making clear the standards expected of institutions serving Florida students.
The Florida Department of Education also sent letters to private colleges and universities operating under the Independent Colleges and Universities (ICUF) and the Commission for Independent Education (CIE), calling for adherence to the National Call to Action and for independent institutions to uphold commitments to transparency, academic quality, student success and institutional accountability.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.
DeSantis says Florida first to answer federal call on academic, operational excellence – WEAR-TV
