A longtime University of South Florida administrator is no longer part of the university system after comments he made about diversity, equity and inclusion surfaced online.
Dr. Haywood Brown, who served as USF Health’s senior associate vice president for academic and faculty affairs and vice dean of faculty affairs for the Morsani College of Medicine, resigned Tuesday after Fox News reported on the comments, which included statements targeting White House adviser Stephen Miller.
Brown was previously the university’s vice president for diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity.
A university spokesperson said after USF learned of the comments, Brown was placed on administrative leave “to allow for a thorough review of the matter,” but he chose to resign.
In a one-line email, Brown wrote, “Retirement effective immediately.” Dr. Charles Lockwood, the executive vice president of USF Health and the Morsani College of Medicine, responded, “I accept.”
Reached by phone, Brown declined to comment.
An audio recording posted to the platform X of comments from someone identified as Brown appeared to be part of a presentation made at VCU Health. The post came from a group called Do No Harm, a medical advocacy group against gender-affirming care.
In the audio, the person identified as Brown can be heard saying that despite names and titles changing to comply with state laws, the work remained the same.
“That didn’t change anything that I was doing already,” Brown said.
He explained how at USF, his office name was changed to “healthcare excellence” because “who could argue against that?”
“How do you get healthcare excellence?” he asked. “Only if you have a workforce that meets those needs.”
Brown said instead of calling one officer someone that focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, a council was rebranded to focus on “cultural enrichment.”
“Isn’t that slippery?” he asked. “As long as it works, that’s what we do.”
Last year, upon the passing of anti-diversity legislation that roiled some students and faculty, outgoing president Rhea Law and university board chair Will Weatherford said the university would remain committed to access and opportunity.
“We have our mission and we have our values, and we have not changed those,” Law said last year. “We do not now have an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. But we are absolutely supportive of access and opportunity for everyone, and we will continue to do that.”
In another clip where Brown was talking about USF increasing its medical school diversity while also increasing its MCAT score, he singled out Miller, an architect of the anti-diversity, equity and inclusion movement.
Brown, who is a graduate of Wake Forest University and a former department chair at Duke University, called Miller “a Dukie, but we don’t claim him,” to some laughter.
In the next breath he added: “He also claims to be Jewish, but we’ll see.”
He also criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis for hiring Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.
“Who let him come?” Brown asked.
A university spokesperson denounced the comments.
“The University of South Florida is disappointed and troubled by the statements of Dr. Haywood Brown,” USF spokesperson Althea Johnson said in an email. “The university follows all state and federal guidance, policies and laws, and any suggestion otherwise by Dr. Brown is untrue.”
State officials weighed in, saying he was unwelcome in Florida education. Bryan Griffin, a spokesperson for DeSantis, said the governor’s office “immediately ensured” he would no longer be working with the state.
Brown, whose research focuses on maternal health, joined USF in 2018 as its top diversity officer and, along with former USF President Steve Currall, began addressing racial inequities at the university during a nationwide racial reckoning during the summer of 2020.
Though the laws have changed, many issues surrounding diversity remain in place at USF. During the 2003-04 year, USF enrolled 4,057 Black students, or 12.6% of its student population. Last year, that number was 3,793, or 8.8% of the student body.
