Joseph Ladapo hiring violated UF procedures, faculty report says

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Some faculty felt Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general, was the subject of “preferential treatment on the basis of his political opinions.”

The University of Florida violated its own hiring procedures while bringing Joseph Ladapo onboard for a tenured position, according to a faculty committee report released Wednesday.

The hiring of Ladapo, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis picked last year to be the state’s surgeon general, did not adequately involve the input of faculty normally charged with reviewing a candidate’s application for tenure, the report found.

Administrators accelerated Ladapo’s start date to accommodate DeSantis’ announcement that the doctor would become the state’s next surgeon general, it said. And some faculty members felt Ladapo was the subject of “preferential treatment on the basis of his political opinions,” the report said.

“The irregularities noted above were of concern to the members of this committee and appeared to violate the spirit, and in review the exact letter, of UF hiring regulations and procedures, particularly in the vital role faculty play in evaluating the qualifications of their peers,” reads the report, which was compiled by seven professors from across five university sectors.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/03/31/joseph-ladapo-hiring-violated-uf-procedures-faculty-report-says/