The University of Florida is committed to fostering an environment of free expression, academic freedom, and open inquiry. The Institutional Neutrality policy, as approved by the UF Board of Trustees, aims to curtail the unnecessary speech of leadership that might otherwise disenfranchise dissenting students and faculty and thereby stifle their speech, and applies to UF employees and individuals who have access to, operate or maintain any Communication Resources for the purpose of engaging in University Business. All University of Florida employees continue to retain the right to express their own opinions, provided they don’t use UF communication resources to do so, or state or imply the university’s endorsements of those opinions.
Visit the UF Policy Hub to read the full policy. Frequently asked questions are included below for review. For additional questions about the policy, contact UFHR Employee Relations via email and include the phrase “Institutional Neutrality” in the subject line.
Sections 4.1, 4.3 and 4.4 apply to all UF employees and individuals who have access to, operate or maintain any Communication Resources for the purpose of engaging in University Business. Section 4.2 only applies to UF institutional and unit leaders and their leadership teams.
“UF institutional and unit leadership teams” includes the administrative leaders of UF and its units and the members of their leadership teams. UF institutional and unit leaders are those positions that oversee the operations of a division, department, office or other unit of the university. This includes positions with the following in their titles: vice president, provost, dean, director, chief and chair. Leadership teams are the administrative employees who support an institutional or unit leader or otherwise report directly to an institutional or unit leader and support the management of unit operations. This includes positions with the following in their titles: associate and assistant vice president/provost, associate and assistant dean, associate and assistant director, associate, assistant and vice chair, deputy, university, executive, senior, superintendent, manager and officer. Institutional and unit leadership teams do not include faculty elected or appointed shared governance committees or councils.
As demonstrated in his discussions with the Faculty Senate, institutional and unit leadership and in statements made during Board of Trustees meetings, the President is a strong proponent of strict institutional neutrality and cognizant of how social or political statements by leadership can divide the campus and negatively impact the free and open exchanges of ideas. Accordingly, the use of this authority will be infrequent and judicious and only invoked after considering its potential impact on faculty, staff and students.
Student use of university email for student activities is not considered University Business and is not covered by the policy. If a student is also an employee, their use of university email for employment activities is considered University Business and is covered by the policy. Student use of any university IT resource, including email, regardless of whether for student or employment activities, is covered by UFIT’s Acceptable Use policy.
Section 4.2 only applies to UF institutional and unit leadership teams when conducting their University Business, as defined in the policy. University Business does not include personal endeavors, private consulting, political or social advocacy, student academic activities or other activities undertaken in an individual capacity. As outlined in UF’s Freedom of Expression Statement, individuals retain the right to engage in First Amendment protected personal expression in their private capacities, provided they do not use UF’s Communication Resources or state or imply UF endorsement. Individuals also retain the right to engage in and utilize Communication Resources for bona fide academic discussion, research, or teaching on political or social topics.
No, the policy does not prohibit employees from making statements or proclamations on social or political topics on their personal and social media. As reminder, this topic is addressed by Section 4.8 of the Social Media policy:
4.8 – Misrepresentation
Those affiliated with UF may not portray themselves as acting or speaking on behalf of the university or any part of the university, such as the Health Science Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), a college, department, or any other unit, or present a social media account as an official university account, unless authorized to do so by the vice president, or designee, with jurisdiction over the applicable unit. Even when acting in one’s university capacity, UF faculty, staff, students, volunteers, etc. may not represent their own positions and opinions on social media as those of the university. When using social media in a personal capacity, reasonable precautions must be taken to indicate that the activity is being conducted as a private person and not as an employee, agent, or spokesperson of the university. Precautions include using heightened privacy settings, not identifying oneself as a UF employee, and adding a disclaimer clarifying the views expressed are that of the individual.
No, the policy does not prohibit employees from providing expert witness testimony related to their field or stating their affiliation with the university for identification purposes only. However, Section 4.8.2 of the Conflicts of Commitment and Conflicts of Interest policy addresses other requirements for expert witness outside activities:
4.8.2 Expert Witness Activities
Expert witness activities do not have to be disclosed and do not require a Prior Approval Request (PAR), with two exceptions as follows:
Exception 1: Expert witness activities related to legal proceedings involving clinical and/or medical matters must be submitted as a PAR and approved by the Self Insurance Program regardless of whether such activities are related to the employee’s Institutional Expertise.
Exception 2: Expert witness activities in legal proceedings where the university, its employees or board members (in the course and scope of their university positions), its Direct Support Organizations (DSOs) or its affiliates are a party to the legal proceeding must be submitted as a PAR and approved by the university regardless of whether such activities are related to the employee’s Institutional Expertise.
No, the policy does not prohibit employees from providing expert commentary to the public or media related to their field or stating their university affiliation for identification purposes only. As a reminder, this topic is addressed in Section 4.2 of the Conflicts of Commitment and Conflicts of Interest policy:
4.2 Employee Personal Speech.
The university affirms the free speech rights of its employees to comment on matters of public concern in accordance with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article I, Section 4 of the Florida Constitution. Statements made by employees in their capacities as individual citizens and not on behalf of the university, another person or entity, including those to the media, are not reportable Outside Activities. This includes when employees are speaking in their personal capacity about areas of their expertise and when they use their university credentials for identification purposes only. However, comments on matters of public concern become Disclosable Interests, subject to university review for potential Conflicts of Interest or Conflicts of Commitment, when employees seek to speak on behalf of or represent another as part of an activity that constitutes a Disclosable Interest.
The policy permits employees, regardless of whether they are UF institutional or unit leaders, to engage in bona fide academic, research and teaching discussions on political or social topics at meetings and conferences of professional organizations.
Care, treatment and medical advice given during the health care provider/patient setting, including when it addresses political or social topics, is considered a form of bona fide academic discussion, research and teaching and is permitted by the policy.
The policy permits employees, regardless of whether they are UF institutional or unit leaders, to disseminate bona fide university research. Section 4.1 of the policy states: “Individuals also retain the right to engage in and utilize Communication Resources for bona fide academic discussion, research, or teaching on political or social topics.”
The policy permits bona fide teaching of social or political topics related to a faculty member’s course curriculum. Section 4.1 of the policy states: “Individuals also retain the right to engage in and utilize Communication Resources for bona fide academic discussion, research, or teaching on political or social topics.”
Section 4.4 of the policy states: “Information contained in email signature blocks is limited to UF’s Email Signature Standards and any University Business related notice or disclaimer authorized by a unit leader.” The Email Signature Standards are limited to contact information that pertains to the employee’s role at the University, which includes name, title, University of Florida, college name, department or unit name, email address and phone number. This does not include quotes, song lyrics, pronouns, land acknowledgments, graphics (other than the approved UF monogram, or unit promotional logo if approved by Strategic Communications and Marketing), images or other content that are not listed under Required Information in the Standards
No, the Board of Governors Regulation 9.016 and the policy prohibit organizing, sponsoring, or otherwise endorsing events that promote or advocate for social or political issues.
No, the policy prohibits UF institutional and unit leadership teams from encouraging attendance at or participation in events that promote or advocate for social or political issues.
Encouraging attendance at or participation in events that are intended to promote or advocate for social or political issues is not considered bona fide academic discussion, research or instruction.