BOCA RATON — A tenured professor was put on administrative leave by Florida Atlantic University after social media posts the teacher made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to a statement issued by the school.
FAU President Adam Hasner released a statement Saturday on X, saying he was alerted of repeated comments made online by the professor and said the behavior does not reflect the university’s mission or values.
“It is our expectation that all employees consistently pursue the university’s mission and values to promote higher education, cultivate academic excellence, and support the personal growth of our students,” Hasner said in the social media statement.
The president said that in Florida, there are specific procedures for handling disciplinary matters involving tenured faculty. He said the professor, who he did not identify, is under investigation.
“Our focus remains on our academic community’s responsibility to promote civil discourse, conduct healthy debate, and treat one another with respect,” Hasner said. “This applies to all students, faculty, and staff no matter their political leanings.”
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on a university campus in Utah. A suspect is in custody, according to the FBI.
Florida Atlantic held vigil to honor Charlie Kirk on Thursday night
Just two days earlier, nearly 200 people, including students, faculty, staff and community members, attended a vigil to honor the slain activist.
Hasner had opened the vigil with a reflection on the challenge of guiding a campus community through grief and anger.
“While this didn’t happen on our campus, it did happen on a university campus,” Hasner said. “It reminds us of the lack of civil discourse that we have seen on college campuses throughout the country.”
Hasner, who said he first met Kirk more than a decade ago when Turning Point USA was “just an idea hatched in a basement,” described him as a “happy warrior” and “true American patriot.”
“He was assassinated yesterday while exercising his right to free speech while encouraging civil dialogue,” Hasner said. “He may be gone, but I assure you what he stood for will never be forgotten.”
At the front of the room Thursday night, beside a poster of Charlie Kirk with the words “Not just a country, a movement,” speakers remembered the right-wing political activist who had built a national organization from scratch.
“We had to do it here, and soon,” said Nick Coyte, 25, a senior who leads FAU’s chapter of Turning Point USA, the conservative student group Kirk founded in 2012. “Tensions and emotions are high and we need to do our part in reorienting people’s emotions in the direction of peaceful, civil discourse.”
Report: University of Miami neurologist fired over Charlie Kirk post
Also, a neurologist was fired from the University of Miami on Saturday after sharing a post about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s assassination, according to The Miami Hurricane, the university’s student newspaper.
Dr. Michelle Bravo posted on her Instagram story a screenshot of a post by another user on X about Kirk’s assassination.
Meanwhile, the Martin County teachers union president was removed from teaching duties Friday, Sept. 12 for online comments he allegedly posted over the killing of Kirk.
The action is pending an investigation into the comments, according to a statement on the Martin County School District’s social media page.
Matt Theobald, president of the Martin County Education Association and teacher at Spectrum Academy, has been reassigned to the district office while the “professional standards investigation proceeds,” a district official said.
James Coleman is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com and follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JimColeman11. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU professor put on leave after social media comments about Charlie Kirk assassination
Reporting by James Coleman, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
