Florida Institute of Technology scrubs DEI to avoid federal funding cuts
The president of Florida Tech was captured on video discussing how the school is altering certain DEI-related terminology, such as striking 'climate change,' to receive federal funding.
The university has since asserted that it is working to comply with state and federal directives by overhauling DEI policies and aligning itself with Florida’s anti-DEI mandates.
A Florida university president has revealed how the school is “modifying” the school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies in order to retain federal funding.
Florida Institute of Technology President Jack Nicklow was caught on camera by O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) discussing the removal of controversial terms from research projects to avoid losing funding from the federal government.
Some examples of these terms include “climate change” and “environmental.”
The video features Nicklow explaining during a meeting that, “If you go to the federal government right now, and seek funding for this work, they talk a lot about ‘climate change impacts on manatees,’ etc., it won’t get funded.”
“If you word it as surveillance or defense, you’ll probably get a lot of money,” he continued.
FLORIDA TECH PRESIDENT RECORDED; Admitting to ‘Tweaking the Language’ of ‘DEI Courses’ to Bypass DeSantis-Backed DEI Ban and Secure $7 Million in Taxpayer Funding; O’Keefe Escorted Off Campus After Heated Confrontation
“They [the Government] are not smart people… They are… pic.twitter.com/qIFUyDQjmC— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) April 10, 2025
Nicklow added that the school had “tweaked” language to maintain funding. “They are not smart people,” he said. “They are simply searching, whatever comes back on web, searching without understanding.”
The Post Millennial reports that at one point during the meeting, Florida Tech’s head of psychology asked whether faculty should remove terms related to DEI in course descriptions.
“You’re not going to get fired for teaching those courses,” he claimed.
The office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said it has insisted that the university remove DEI programs and that it will enforce the state’s anti-DEI directive if necessary, according to Florida Today.
“Public universities in Florida are already prohibited from having DEI programs,” the office reportedly explained. “However, our office has met with this private university to advocate and insist they end any and all DEI practices. Should any DEI persist at any university in Florida, we know it will not lead to student achievement and will fight to have it completely eliminated.”
A Florida Tech spokesperson told Campus Reform that the university was aware of OMG’s video—which the school asserted was “illegally recorded and heavily edited.”
The spokesperson added that the university has “proactively aligned” with anti-DEI directives and has taken “meaningful action” to remove DEI policies.
According to the spokesperson, the school has already overhauled DEI-related website content, “[a]udited academic programs for compliance,” and “[e]ngaged senior leadership to reinforce direction,” and said that it will attempt to “ensure full compliance” with state and federal law.
The controversy surrounding Florida Tech’s DEI policies coincides with a federal crackdown on DEI policies.
In February, the U.S. Department of Education released a notice that universities could have their federal funding revoked if they do not remove DEI initiatives.
“But under any banner, discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is, has been, and will continue to be illegal,” the Education Department explained. “If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person’s race, the educational institution violates the law.”
Following the department’s notice, multiple universities including the University of Southern California, University of Alaska, and Vanderbilt University have each removed references to “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” online.
