Florida plans to examine return on investment of Women and Gender Studies in higher education
One Democrat critic has said the Board is simply finding an excuse to eliminate such programs.
Many others, however, have said such programs only serve as political indoctrination and teach no real skills, and some schools have already started abolishing such programs.
The state of Florida will take a closer look at the return on investment of Women and Gender Studies programs in public higher education in the state.
The Board of Governors, which leads Florida’s public colleges and universities, is planning the examination, according to the Florida Phoenix.
A request for proposal document from the Board, published Dec. 20, states: “This Contract is for the services of researching five undergraduate programs within the State University System of Florida related to its operational costs, student outcomes, and return on investment (ROI) of each program.”
“Women/Gender Studies” programs will be scrutinized, alongside programs of Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Finance, and Nursing.
The attempted study has drawn some opposition.
Democrat Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani, for example, said that the Board is simply “trying to . . . give another reason to remove this program by saying, ‘Economically it doesn’t make sense.’”
Critics of such Women/Gender Studies programs, however, claim that these programs merely promote political indoctrination while not teaching students any valuable and marketable skills.
The New College of Florida abolished its Gender Studies program in 2024 and got rid of books related to the program.
The Florida school is not the only one to take such an action, as the University of Iowa has recently revealed its plans to shutter its department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. Texas A&M University has also recently shuttered dozens of programs described as “low producing,” such as its minor in LGBTQ+ Studies.
Campus Reform has reached out to the Florida Board of Governors for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
