FSU to publish all course syllabi after statewide DOGE transparency directive
State universities must now make course materials publicly searchable under a DeSantis-backed audit and Board of Governors rule.
Supporters of the transparency measures argue that publicly searchable syllabi help students make informed decisions before enrollment and increase accountability in higher education.
Florida State University (FSU) will publish all undergraduate course syllabi and instructor information online after a statewide directive tied to Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) review and a new Board of Governors transparency rule.
The requirement stems from Executive Order 25-44, issued in February by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to identify “unnecessary spending, programs, courses, staff and any other inefficiencies” across state government, including public universities.
[RELATED: DeSantis’ DOGE demands full syllabi, faculty data from Florida public universities]
In March, the Executive Office of the Governor’s DOGE Team sent a letter to university presidents outlining data requests that included course descriptions and syllabi as part of the efficiency audit.
Following this audit process, the Florida Board of Governors passed a regulation amendment in November requiring all public universities to make syllabi, required and recommended textbooks, curriculum goals, and performance expectations publicly available in an online, searchable database.
Faculty reactions have been mixed. Robert Cassanello, associate professor of history at the University of Central Florida and president of the United Faculty of Florida, criticized the public posting requirement, saying faculty worry it will be used to politicize classroom content rather than improve transparency.
“They’re probably just going to look for keywords, take things out of context and paint us as indoctrinating,” Cassanello told reporters in a statement to WUSF.
Unions representing Florida professors — including the Florida Education Association filed an administrative challenge earlier this month, arguing that a separate Department of Education rule would exceed legal authority by forcing syllabi and assignments to be posted at least 45 days before classes begin.
Supporters of the transparency measures argue that publicly searchable syllabi help students make informed decisions before enrollment and increase accountability in higher education, reducing wasteful spending in state universities.
Florida State University with the twelve state universities in Florida are all compiling thousands of documents to meet reporting deadlines set by the Board of Governors and DOGE, a task that university administrative bodies have described as extensive and resource-intensive, the University Herald reports.
Campus Reform reached out to Florida State University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
