The University of Florida has rescinded the emeritus professor designation of a former professor at the university’s Levin College of Law because of a social media post that references both conservative activist Charlie Kirk and President Donald Trump.
The university announced the news Sept. 19 on its official X account.
“The University of Florida has been made aware of a retired faculty member who issued a post on social media that is raising concerns. In accordance with the university’s policies and regulations, UF has rescinded this individual’s emeritus status.”
That individual is Jeffrey Harrison, The Sun has confirmed, who issued a scathing rebuke of Kirk following his shooting death on Sept. 10 during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
“There is a lot of commentary about Charlie Kirk. It’s not that complicated. He was a evil person spounting [sic] all kinds of hateful messages. I did not want him to die. I reserve that wish for Trump. But let’s face it, even members of the Gestapo and guards at the concentration camps had children. That does not make them heros [sic], nor does it make Charlie Kirk someone to be admired.”
The post gained widespread attention after being shared online by conservative activist Scott Presler, who has more than 2 million followers on X.
“He (Harrison) should lose any affiliation w/ UF & any current duties,” Presler wrote on X.
Harrison’s faculty page on the Levin College of Law’s website has since been removed. His expertise centered around economics, contracts, antitrust and copyright law.
Harrison, who retired from UF in 2020, in the past has not shied away from publicly criticizing both government and university officials.
In a guest column published by The Sun in August 2022, Harrison lambasted UF administrators who “cowered” to the will of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He wrote that DeSantis “encourages people to wallow in the mud of racism, homophobia and xenophobia. Rather than ask people to be better, he asks them to be worse, much worse.
“Sadly, among his staunchest enforcers are UF administrators …,” Harrison wrote. “Any one of them could have been a hero in the world of higher education if they had simply said, ‘I will resign before I follow the orders of a despot.'”
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Former UF law professor has emeritus status revoked after comments about Kirk, Trump
Reporting by Alan Festo, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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