Takeaways from Tallahassee — The torch is passed

Passing the torch

Florida State University celebrated the inauguration of President Richard McCullough Friday.

McCullough became the university’s 16th president on Aug. 16, 2021. Before FSU, he spent decades in faculty and leadership at some of the nation’s most prestigious universities, created two companies, and held multiple patents.

He was previously vice provost for research at Harvard University starting in 2012. Before that, he spent 22 years at Carnegie Mellon, where he began as an assistant professor in chemistry and eventually became the university’s vice president of research.

His ceremony was attended by FSU leadership, officials overseeing the State’s University system, and an audience full of people connected to the gannet and gold. Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey, Commissioners Curtis Richardson and Diann Williams-Cox, and County Commissioners Bill Proctor and Carolyn Cummings voted in favor of a $27 million Blueprint allocation to the university Thursday, were also in attendance.

Marshall Criser, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, said they could not have picked a better person to be FSU’s next president.

“We are behind you; we are ready, and go Noles,” Criser said.

Leadership from his previous universities was also in attendance. During the ceremony, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow and Carnegie Mellon President Emeritus Jared Cohon President spoke.

Bacow gifted McCullough a pen made from wood from a red oak tree on Harvard’s campus.

“May it inspire you as you write the next chapter in this community of scholars,” Bacow said.

During his remarks, McCullough talked about how he was a first-generation college student and how mentors in higher education helped him reach where he is today. He said FSU’s goal is to help students achieve their highest potential.

“Public universities are powerful drivers of social mobility,” McCullough said. “We at Florida State have a higher calling to give every student a fighting chance.”

Earlier in the day, McCullough hosted a panel discussion with faculty leaders at FSU, talking about his previous career and the future of higher education in America.

The panel included Harvard University Provost Alan Garber, Carnegie Mellon professor of Economics and Public Policy and Provost Emeritus Mark Kamlet, Editor-in-Chief of Science Family of Journals Holden Thorp and FSU’s VP for Research and professor of Classics Laurel Fulkerson and Dean of the College of Fine Arts James Frazier.

The education professionals discussed breakthroughs in biological science that allowed the COVID-19 vaccine to get developed quickly, the future of AI in diagnosis medical issues and solving scientific problems, and the importance of the humanities for communicating those developments, strengthening problem-solving skills, and developing interdisciplinary fields of study to push society further forward.

Thorp said the speed at which COVID-19 vaccines were developed is a sign of how far science has progressed, but that the lack of foresight that the pandemic would be turned into a political issue is a sign that social sciences and humanities are just as crucial for solving medical issues as the medical solutions themselves.

“We were really good with our pipettes but not very good at understanding the psychology of what was going to happen,” Thorp said.

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Coming up, the usual assortment of news, intel, and observations from the week that was in Florida’s capital city by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Renzo Downey, Jason Delgado, Christine Jordan Sexton, Tristan Wood and the staff of Florida Politics.

Take 5

The “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

House passes anti-woke, parental rights bills — The House on Thursday passed both the bill addressing “woke” corporate and classroom instruction (HB 7) and the bill limiting classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity (HB 1557). Democrats derided the pair of bills as hurtful to minority groups. But it’s not just Democrats who took a stand. Seven Republicans and one Democrat crossed party lines on HB 1557, which critics have called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. And as the measure heads to the Senate, Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes says he would oppose the bill unless the bill is amended to limit classroom discussions on all “human sexuality.”

Senate confirms Joe Ladapo as Surgeon General — The Republican-controlled Senate voted along party lines Wednesday to confirm Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo despite complaints from Democrats that he was unqualified and a “rubber stamp” for Gov. Ron DeSantis and his COVID-19 policies. Democrats also complained that Ladapo lacked leadership skills, knew little about Florida, and did not appear ready to respond to potential future health emergencies. But Republicans pushed back against Democrats’ criticism and said Ladapo was highly qualified with a lengthy resume. While Senate leadership had criticized Ladapo for refusing to wear a mask around Sen. Tina Polsky despite her insistence, Sen. Aaron Bean urged Senators to look past the incident as a lapse in judgment.

Whatever happens in redistricting — In a never-before-seen move, the House is moving forward with a redistricting “product” rather than a congressional “map.” To address DeSantis’s veto threat and assuage concerns that the Governor’s proposed maps would be unconstitutional, the House Redistricting Committee voted 15-9 with a “primary” map to eliminate Florida’s 5th Congressional District, currently held by U.S. Rep. Al Lawson. That map would replace CD 5 with a new district within Duval County that includes a high concentration of Black voters. To the chagrin of most Democrats (and a pair of Republicans), the plan consists of a secondary map if the courts toss out the primary map.

DeSantis signs COVID-19 claims bill — DeSantis signed a highly sought-after bill (SB 7014) to extend protections from COVID-19 liability lawsuits for nursing homes, hospitals and doctors. The current law that shields businesses and health care providers from COVID-19-related lawsuits was one of the first measures passed by the Legislature during the 2021 Session. However, those protections, including that a plaintiff must prove gross negligence or intentional misconduct, are set to expire at the end of March. The new bill extends protections for health care providers until June 1, 2023. The bill is a tacit acknowledgment that the pandemic remains an ongoing concern even as DeSantis and lawmakers have pushed policies to keep businesses and local governments from imposing mandates and lockdowns.

Immigration bills ready for chamber floors — In a rare move Wednesday, the Senate fast-tracked a bill (SB 1808) containing some of DeSantis’ priorities to crack down on illegal immigration. The bill bypassed its final committee, which Senate President Wilton Simpson told reporters was “so we could get it here a lot quicker … because we want to get it done.” On the House side, the bill (HB 1355) was also made ready for the floor this week after passing its final committee stop. While the Legislature is pushing forward with its versions, the bill doesn’t consider all five of DeSantis’ significant proposals for the “Biden border crisis.”

Tornado relief

DeSantis started a donation portal for Floridians impacted by tornadoes in Charlotte and Lee counties last month.

After the Federal Emergency Management Agency turned down the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s request for federal relief dollars, the agency and the Governor’s Office opened the portal at FloridaDisaster.org/Assistance. Survivors can also request assistance at the website.

“We cannot continue waiting on the federal government to provide relief to these Floridians,” DeSantis said. “After meeting with survivors last week, it’s clear they still need our help. We’ve helped community leaders launch this portal to expedite assistance for impacted residents, and we’re going to ensure they get help.”

The State of Florida is partnering with the Charlotte Community Foundation to collect and disburse donations for disaster survivors. All donations made through the FloridaDisaster.org/Assistance portal are tax-deductible.

According to FEMA criteria, donations will be prioritized for survivors whose homes were assessed as being destroyed or sustaining significant damage. The state coordinates with Charlotte and Lee counties to connect survivors directly with the portal.

“These donations are going to directly provide assistance to our disaster survivors who need it most,” FDEM Director Kevin Guthrie said. “The Division is working around the clock to connect disaster survivors with this vital resource, which will help them recover faster and begin to rebuild after experiencing extensive devastation.”