As DeSantis takes on woke universities, key supporter gives Harvard $300 million

Even as Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to galvanize conservatives with his efforts to combat woke political indoctrination in public schools and universities, his largest donor last election cycle is making headlines for a colossal donation to Harvard University.

Harvard announced this week that hedge fund billionaire and GOP megadonor Ken Griffin had donated $300 million to the school's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The university, in turn, intends to rename its Graduate School of Arts and Sciences after him. A graduate of Harvard, Griffin is the CEO of Citadel investing firm.

The fabulously wealthy Ivy League university is one of the nation's elite educational institutions, but has also earned notoriety for the extent to which woke social causes and ideologies have permeated its instruction and admissions policies.

The university termed Griffin's donation an "unrestricted gift," indicating that he imposed no conditions on how the school may use the funds.

One of the top donors to Republicans in the 2022 midterms, Griffin indicated late last year that he thought DeSantis would perform admirably as the nation's president. The governor has not announced a 2024 presidential bid but is widely expected to do so.

"He has a tremendous record as governor of Florida, and our country would be well-served by him as president," Griffin said at the time, per Politico. Griffin gave $5 million to support the governor's 2022 reelection bid, making him the governor's leading financial supporter.

Griffin's willingness to fund Harvard unconditionally appears to stand in contrast with the governor's attitude toward so-called woke educational institutions. Under his leadership, the state has attempted to overhaul its management of education at every level, including in universities.

In one notable instance, DeSantis appointed a slate of trustees to the board of the New College of Florida, asserting that it had been "completely captured by a political ideology that puts trendy, truth-relative concepts above learning." Among the appointees was conservative activist Christopher Rufo.

The new board has since ousted the college's president in favor of former Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. New College leadership is currently working to comprehensively overhaul its educational and administrative practices.

DeSantis has further condemned university bureaucracies as "hostile to academic freedom" and accused them of "imposing a political agenda." Earlier this year, he ordered that public universities account for spending on critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion activities, the elimination of which he hopes to encourage.

DeSantis' conservative stance on education policy seems to present no problem for Griffin. In November, he told Politico that public safety and crime concerns were a "significant factor" in how he made his political contributions. Griffin previously resided in Chicago, a city notorious nationwide for its rising crime. The Republican Party in 2022 campaigned heavily on exactly the public safety and crime issues that motivated Griffin.

He has openly disagreed with DeSantis on some issues, among them the revocation of Disney World's self-governing status and the governor's flying of illegal migrants to Martha's Vineyard.

The governor's office has not responded to a request comment from on Griffin's contribution to Harvard University.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.