The New College Hostile Takeover

Recently, Ron DeSantis, the Governor of the State of Florida, in a move to purge New College of Florida in Sarasota, Florida of it's "woke" ideologies, appointed 6 new fanatically conservative members to the college's Board of Trustees

The smallest school in Florida’s university system, New College has about 700 students and lists one of its core values as building a “just, diverse, equitable and inclusive community” on campus. “We seek a balance between recognizing and celebrating difference, respectfully supporting each other’s growth, and ensuring that historically marginalized and oppressed groups are not experiencing trauma and harm,” an online post describing New College’s values said.

The Florida Constitution provides that each state university shall be administered by a board of trustees consisting of 13 members dedicated to the purpose of the State University System. Six citizen members are appointed by Florida’s Governor and five citizen members are appointed by the Florida Board of Governors. In addition, the chair of the faculty and the president of the student body serve on the board.

The 6 Board members recently appointed by Ron DeSantis to the New College Board of Trustees are:

• Christopher Rufo: A Senior Fellow for the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank
• Matthew Spalding: The Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, a conservative college in Washington, D.C.
• Charles Kesler: A Professor of Government at Claremont-McKenna College, a private conservative college in Claremont, California
• Mark Bauerlein: Professor Emeritus of English at Emory University, a conservative private research university in Atlanta, Georgia
• Debra Jenks: A lawyer practicing in Palm Beach County, Florida
• Eddie Speir: Co-Founder, Chairman, and Superintendent of the Inspiration  Academy, a Christian School in Bradenton, FLorida

In The Daily Caller, a conservative media outlet, DeSantis’ chief of staff, James Uthmeier, was quoted as saying the revamped board could make the school “along the lines of a Hillsdale of the South,” — alluding to Hillsdale College, a Christian college in Michigan that is prominent among conservatives.

DeSantis’ appointments came after his administration last week directed state higher-education officials to gather information about resources colleges and universities devote to programs centered on diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory. Critical race theory is based on the premise that racism is embedded in American society.

The choices for the New College board drew criticism from Andrew Gothard, president of the United Faculty of Florida union. “Like many Floridians who have ties to the New College community, UFF (the United Faculty of Florida) was surprised and disturbed today to see the appointment of six trustees whose only apparent interest in the institution is politically and ideologically motivated,” Gothard said in a statement to the News Service. Gothard said trustees have a “solemn duty” to act in the best interest of everyone on campuses. “Promises to upend programs with ideologically driven claims that could not be farther from the truth of what actually occurs in a higher education classroom — these do nothing to improve New College, nor will they draw interested students to a campus where trustees are so at odds with the faculty, the local administration and the truth,” Gothard said.

One of the first things the newly restructured Board of Trustees did was to terminate the college president, Patricia Okker, and replace her with Richard Corcoran (R), former Florida Speaker, former Chief of Staff to Marco Rubio and former state Commissioner of Education. They also raised Corcoran's salary from $394,000 to $699,000 per year.

In 2022, Corcoran, then Florida's Commissioner of Education, came under scrutiny when the DOE was shown to be in talks with MGT Consulting, a firm led by Corcoran's longtime colleague Trey Traviesa, for some time before bidding on a multimillion-dollar educational services contract that was opened for a single week, a situation that appeared to allow the firm preferential access. Out of 25 firms sent a request for quotes, only MGT responded within the one-week deadline. One week prior to the bidding being opened, Corcoran hosted a closed-door meeting between Traviesa, Jefferson County school officials, and charter school lobbyist Ralph Arza. On May 1, 2022, Corcoran stepped down as education commissioner. Read the complete story HERE.

At the time his appointment as college president was announced, Corcoran was still registered as a lobbyist for educational concerns, including Charter Schools USA, Polk County Public Schools, and the University of Miami, among three dozen clients whose relationship he had reaffirmed earlier that month.

Because the structure of the New College Board of Trustees is dictated by the Florida Constution and state statutes, the same Board of Trustees makeup is identical in all the universities throughout the state. Is this hostile takeover of New College a litmus test to gauge the inevitable pushback by the educational communiity? Is the University of Florida or the University of South Florida next? Isn't gaining absolute control of a system of education one of the surest ways to control the minds and souls of the people a fascist despot would employ?

Keep in mind that Ron DeSantis aspires to become the president, where he hopes to exercise this same dictatorial power throughout the country.