Ron DeSantis just made one move that sent the woke education establishment into a fit of rage

The radical Left thought they had higher education locked down for good.

They never saw this devastating counterpunch coming.

And Ron DeSantis just made one move that sent the woke education establishment into a fit of rage.

DeSantis unleashes the nuclear option against woke accreditors

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped a political bombshell Thursday that sent shockwaves through the higher education world.

Standing at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, DeSantis announced the formation of a revolutionary new accrediting body designed to obliterate what he calls the “woke accreditation cartel.”

The Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE) represents a coalition of six public university systems from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas that will focus on student outcomes, academic quality, and operational efficiency instead of leftist ideology.

“Florida has set an example for the country in reclaiming higher education—and we’re working to make that success permanent,” DeSantis declared at the unveiling event. “That means breaking the activist-controlled accreditation monopoly.”

The new commission strikes at the heart of the current system that DeSantis argues has been hijacked by radical activists who care more about pushing diversity, equity, and inclusion nonsense than actual education.

“It will provide institutions with an alternative that focuses on student achievement rather than the ideological fads that have so permeated those accrediting bodies over the year,” DeSantis explained.

The Left’s stranglehold on education just got obliterated

DeSantis didn’t hold back in exposing how the current accreditation system has become a weapon of the radical left.

“When we said ‘No DEI’ the accreditor was telling our universities, ‘Oh no, no, you’re not going to get accredited unless you do DEI’ who the heck are they to say what our universities have to do? They’re telling them they can’t follow state law. Are you kidding me,” he said.

The Governor’s comments reveal the shocking extent to which so-called “neutral” accrediting bodies have been weaponized against conservative states trying to restore sanity to their universities.

DeSantis bemoaned what he sees as an “accreditation cartel,” which he cast as undercutting efforts at reform, calling out past clashes with accreditors in response to actions by state universities.

Florida has been locked in legal battles with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) for years over the state’s efforts to eliminate woke programming from public universities.

In 2022, the Republican-controlled Legislature and DeSantis approved a bill requiring public universities and colleges to periodically change accreditors.

That followed confrontations with SACSCOC over Florida’s principled stand against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that have infected higher education across the country.

Trump administration clears the path for victory

DeSantis made it clear that this bold move was only possible because of President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

“The reality is if it doesn’t get approved and stick during that time, we can have a president come in next and potentially revoke it, and they could probably do that very quickly,” DeSantis said. “If we get this done … I think almost all the states in our region are going to be favorable to this.”

The Trump administration has thrown its full support behind the initiative, recognizing that breaking the left’s monopoly on higher education accreditation is essential for reclaiming American universities.

DeSantis emphasized the importance of moving quickly; he said he wanted to see the new accreditor approved during the Trump administration out of concern that the next president could potentially slow or undermine efforts to launch the new accrediting body.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect, as Trump has already issued executive orders targeting DEI initiatives and supporting intellectual diversity on college campuses.

State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues hammered home why this change is desperately needed.

Rodrigues contended the current accreditation process wastes time “checking the compliance box and managing the minutiae of bureaucracy, with very little focus on real, actual academic excellence.”

The beginning of the end for woke higher education

The formation of the Commission for Public Higher Education represents far more than just an alternative accreditor.

It’s the opening shot in what could become a nationwide rebellion against the leftist indoctrination factories that American universities have become.

Rodrigues called the current accreditation system in the region “flawed,” pointing out that there are nearly 50 four-year non-profit colleges and universities under SACSCOC accreditation that have a four-year graduation rate of 20% or less.

While these accreditors obsess over politically correct programming, they’re failing at their basic job of ensuring students actually get educated.

Chancellor Ray Rodrigues of the State University System of Florida said the new commission is designed to raise standards and increase institutional accountability. “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,” Rodrigues said.

The Commission promises to focus on measurable outcomes instead of ideological conformity.

Rodrigues said the new Commission for Public Higher Education will “offer an accreditation model that prioritizes academic excellence and student success while removing ideological bias and unnecessary financial burdens.”

Faculty unions melt down over loss of control

Predictably, the left-wing faculty unions immediately went into full panic mode upon hearing DeSantis’s announcement.

The Florida Education Association and United Faculty of Florida released a joint statement saying they “strongly oppose” the move as it “directly threatens the independence, integrity, and academic credibility of the state’s higher education system.”

United Faculty of Florida President Teresa M. Hodge claimed that “Accreditation matters because it’s the backbone of academic freedom, shared governance, and public trust in the quality of our institutions.”

Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar whined that “Students learn best when they’re free to learn and educators are free to teach — not when curriculum decisions are dictated by politics.”

These are the same organizations that have spent decades turning universities into progressive indoctrination centers while graduation rates plummet and student debt skyrockets.

FAU President Adam Hasner spoke on behalf of the university about the importance of this groundbreaking initiative for advancing public universities and the students they serve.

The faculty unions’ hysteria proves just how threatened they are by the prospect of actual accountability and academic excellence replacing their woke agenda.

A model for the rest of America

What DeSantis has accomplished in Florida is providing a roadmap for red states across the country to reclaim their universities from radical activists.

“We want to focus on real, serious academic rigor. We want to focus on things that really matter, things that are enduring. We don’t want to waste someone’s education,” DeSantis said during an appearance at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

The six-state consortium sends a powerful message that conservative states are done playing defense against the woke education establishment.

Thad H. Westbrook, Chair of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, also voiced support for the initiative. “The innovations we expect to implement will benefit students while making accreditation more efficient and more focused on outcomes, quality, and success,” Westbrook said.

With Trump back in the White House and states like Florida leading the charge, the days of leftist control over higher education may finally be numbered.

The Commission for Public Higher Education represents hope that future generations of students will receive real education focused on knowledge and critical thinking instead of political indoctrination.

DeSantis has once again proven that bold conservative leadership can deliver results when politicians have the courage to take on entrenched special interests.

The woke accreditation cartel never saw this coming, but they’re about to learn what happens when Americans fight back against institutional capture.