DeSantis Shares Plan To Reform Higher Education Accreditation

In a recent interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis revealed his groundbreaking vision for reforming the college accreditation system in the United States. A 2024 presidential candidate, DeSantis expressed his commitment to reshaping the higher education landscape should he win his White House bid.

During the conversation, host Hugh Hewitt posed a question about how a “President DeSantis” would address issues related to tenure in both K-12 schools and state-funded colleges. DeSantis responded with a comprehensive plan that centers around challenging the current accreditation process.

“Through the accreditation cartel. So, we’re going to totally blow up the accreditation cartel,” he stated, going on to explain that one of the key drivers behind the ideological leanings of universities is the need for accreditation. 

“And these accreditors are all trying to create the types of universities that we object to as conservatives,” he added.

To counter this trend, DeSantis announced his intention to establish alternative accreditation bodies. Under this new system, universities will not be accredited if they promote courses like gender studies or diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Ron DeSantis, 2024 presidential candidate, plans to reform the college accreditation system. He wants to accredit universities based on subjects conservatives approve of, rather than requiring gender studies or DEI. He also wants universities to be… https://t.co/2dBjhN8Crh

— The America One News (@am1_news) October 5, 2023

Discussing changes at Florida’s New College, where a conservative board appointed former House Speaker Richard Corcoran as president, DeSantis highlighted it as a template for future reforms. At New College, critical race theory was eliminated, the gender studies department was abolished, and the university was rebranded as a premier publicly funded liberal arts college with a classical approach, the presidential candidate pointed out.

“And it’s modeled after Hillsdale College, the number of parents across this country who are interested in applying is unbelievable and they were struggling to get applications,” he stated.

DeSantis later went on to voice the belief that making universities responsible for student loans will be a significant driver of change. 

“That’s going to cause them to change their behavior, because they’re not going to be able to go on ideological joyrides with their curriculum knowing that if somebody gets out of the university and they can’t afford to get by, that the university may end up being on the hook,” he asserted.