Straws in the Wind - Part 147

From Inside Higher Ed: Texas governor Greg Abbott picked a regent from Texas Southern University to serve as the state’s first higher ed ombudsman, who will ensure state universities adhere to recent laws that restricted the role of faculty senates and banned diversity, equity and inclusion practices, the state announced in a news release last week. The new office, which will be housed under the state Higher Education Coordinating Board, will serve as a go-between for state lawmakers and colleges and universities. It also will manage complaints and investigations related to reported violations of either the DEI ban or some provisions of Senate Bill 37, which state lawmakers passed earlier this year and that requires state institutions to make a number of changes.

Brandon Simmons, a former tech company executive, corporate attorney and venture capitalist whom Abbott previously appointed to serve on the Texas Southern Board of Regents, will lead the ombudsman’s office. Simmons has also served as an entrepreneurial resident and distinguished professor of business at Wiley University in Marshall, Tex., since 2024...

The state Senate still has to sign off on Simmons’s appointment before he can take office...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/10/22/texas-governor-appoints-ombudsman-who-will-oversee-higher-ed.

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From the Guardian: Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, is urging the state’s universities to stop hiring international employees through the H-1B visa program. DeSantis said he wants the Florida board of governors “to pull the plug” on the practice. Nearly 400 foreign nationals are currently employed at Florida’s public universities under the H-1B visa program, reported the Orlando Sentinel. “Universities across the country are importing foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of hiring Americans who are qualified and available to do the job,” said DeSantis in a statement. “We will not tolerate H-1B abuse in Florida institutions. That’s why I have directed the Florida Board of Governors to end this practice.”

However, it’s unclear how such a move could be carried out. States do not have authority to revoke federal visas, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services regulations prohibit firing employees based on immigration status.

...DeSantis cited positions filled by workers from China, Argentina and Canada, arguing these roles were taken from qualified Floridians in favor of “cheap labor.” ... The University of Florida is one of the state’s largest users of the H-1B program, employing more than 150 staff members under the visa, according to an Orlando Sentinel review of federal data... 

Full story at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/29/desantis-florida-universities-visa-h1b.