‘Go to Berkeley’: Ron DeSantis said students seeking ‘woke’ classes should study elsewhere

[keith99]

View attachment 373944


“If you want to do things like gender ideology, go to (the University of California) Berkeley,” DeSantis added. “There’s nothing wrong with that, per se, but for us with our tax dollars, we want to focus on the classical mission of what a university is supposed to be.”

“What this does is reorient our universities back to their traditional mission and part of that traditional mission is to treat people as individuals, not to try to divvy them up based on any type of superficial characteristics,” DeSantis said.

US Rank 2026	WUR Rank 2026	University	Overall	Teaching	Research Environment	Research Quality	Industry	International Outlook
1	2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	97.7	99.2	95.3	99.6	100	91.9
2	=3	Princeton University	97.2	98.2	97.3	99	98	85.4
=3	=5	Harvard University	97.1	95.9	100	98.9	86.7	88.3
=3	=5	Stanford University	97.1	97.5	97.4	99.5	100	83.9
5	7	California Institute of Technology	96.3	96.4	97.4	96.8	100	87.9
6	9	University of California, Berkeley	94.4	87.3	99	98.9	99.5	83.9
7	10	Yale University	94.1	94.6	94.5	97.2	87.6	81.4

1) According to the TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS, the University of California (Berkeley) ranks 6th among US universities and 9th in the world!

2) Two other California universities actually rank ahead of Berkeley, the California Institute of Technology and Stan ford (tied with Harvard) rank 5th and 3rd for US universities - 7th and 6th worldwide!

3) A total of 9 universities in California were slotted ahead of the University of Florida (44th) - the highest ranked university in that state!

3rd - Stanford University (5th worldwide)
5th - California Institute of Technology (7th worldwide)
6th - University of California Berkeley (9th worldwide)
11th - University of California Los Angeles ranks (18th worldwide)
22nd - University of California San Diego ranks 22nd (47th worldwide)
25th - University of California Davis 25th (64th worldwide)28th - University of California Santa Barbara (72nd worldwide)
29th - University of Southern California (73rd worldwide)
35th - University of California Irvine (97th worldwide)

44th - University of Florida (134th worldwide)

4) Apparently Governor DeSantis has decided to start his 2028 Presidental Campaign early but he's finally learned the hard way not to renew his fight with Disney!

5) Now he's decided to take a page out of President Trump's playbook, he's picking a fight with the universities - threatening to establish his own accreditation board as a means of forcing Florida's institutions to comply!

6) Florida's Governor has assumed the role of determining what can/can't be taught in that state's institutions for the express purpose "to focus on the classical mission of what a university is supposed you be!"

7) Someone should inform the Governor that try as he might, he can't recapture his idyllic version of "THE GOOD OLD DAYS" and that the 1950's are not about to make a comeback anytime soon!

8) DeSantis' comments directed at Berkeley, that supposed "bastion of woke," are all the more misguided, given that the Governor has unintentionally issued an open invitation to compare Florida's public universities with those of California - a state where the Governor has made no attempt to impose his will on what is being taught!

9) As previously stated, the "Times Higher Education World University Rankings"
places the University of California Berkeley as the 6th best university in America and 9th in the World - in fact, California has currently placed 3 universities in the Top 10 in the world (2 public, 1 private)!

10) California also has 9 universities (7 public, 2 private) that rank in the Top 35 nationally and all are included within the Top 100 internationally!

11) Compare "woke" California where all 9 universities are ranked ahead of the highest placed university in Florida, where no institution of higher learning, public or private, managed to be included among the Top 100 worldwide!

44th - University of Florida (134th worldwide)
56th - University of Miami (private)(201-250 worldwide)
66th - Florida State University (301-350 worldwide)
74th - University of South Florida (351-400 worldwide)
80th - Florida International University (401-500 worldwide)

12) Many of Florida's universities, both private and public, are better known for their football program than academics!

13) In 2023, Governor DeSantis set aside $1 million in pubic funds to finance a Florida State University's (FSU) legal challenge directed at the College Football Playoff Committee when FSU wasn't included as one of the playoff teams that year!

Top Universities in the US 2026 - US College Rankings

Discover the best colleges in the US according to the Times Higher Education’s trusted World University Rankings. This list highlights the which universities in the US excel in teaching, research, and global influence. The Times Higher Education US college rankings are based on a trusted...

www.timeshighereducation.com

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Sets Aside $1 Million For FSU's Legal Battles Against CFP

The outrage in Tallahassee isn't limited to just supporters and fans of the program.

www.si.com

‘Go to Berkeley’: Ron DeSantis said students seeking ‘woke’ classes should study elsewhere

'We want to focus on the classical mission of what a university is supposed to be.'

floridapolitics.com

TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS, the University of California (Ber

“If you want to do things like gender ideology, go to (the University of California) Berkeley,” DeSantis added. “There’s nothing wrong with that, per se, but for us with our tax dollars, we want to focus on the classical mission of what a university is supposed to be.”

“What this does is reorient our universities back to their traditional mission and part of that traditional mission is to treat people as individuals, not to try to divvy them up based on any type of superficial characteristics,” DeSantis said.

Notice that Cal Tech is the only truly small school on the list! There is a bias against small schools and an even greater bias against colleges where teaching rather than research is the emphasis. My guess is if smaller schools get looked at the contrast between California and Florida increases. Pomona and Harvey Mudd both are excellent, but small. Heck all the Clairmont Colleges are probably better than anything in Florida. Along with Occidental and a couple of San Diego area small colleges.

Cal Tech, undefeated in Football for the last 40 years!

 

[BCP1928]

While it may not interfere with someone learning STEM. It does interfere with "the normal college experience" for some of the students.

And while it may only be a minority who would actually light a dumpster on fire to prevent an Ann Coulter speech from taking place...

Overall, attitudes toward "squashing free speech that I don't like" are more than just a small minority.

UC Berkeley students, faculty evaluate campus free speech climate

While the topic of free speech is intertwined with UC Berkeley’s legacy, it has recently become a particular source of concern on campus and across the nation.

www.dailycal.org

UC Berkeley’s Free Speech Identity Crisis | Berkeley Political Review

“Speech is not violence. The Left conflates the two in order to justify its own violent reactions to differing points of view.” Michael Knowles “I go to UC Berkeley…” Usually, when a Berkeley student utters these words to those who aren’t lucky enough to attend our university, they are met with...

bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu

A campus culture of more than just a few outliers being intolerant of "anything but the most progressive viewpoint" was evidently enough of a problem, and some Senior faculty recognized it was something that needed to be addressed in the form of a brand new course called "Openness to Opposing Views"

It sounds like you think Universities should be citadels of some slate of "traditional American values" that you are imagining.