Gov. Ron DeSantis blew up the New College of Florida just before a major board meeting on Tuesday, saying the school put too much emphasis on race and “gender ideology” and would be reformed by the new board. said that Large sums of money are to recruit new faculty members.
DeSantis said during an event in Bradenton that New York needed $15 million “immediately” for faculty recruitment and scholarships at his college, of which he said $10 million would be recurring annually.
The announcement shows the governor is ready to commit significant funds to his new university transformation, which began with the appointment of six new board members earlier this month. It came hours before the New College board meeting for the first time since the reorganized board.
The board meeting is later today in Sarasota and should be “very, very intriguing,” according to DeSantis.
The idea of removing faculty tenure, cancelling all personnel contracts, and rehiring anyone who fits into the school’s “new financial and business model” will all be up for discussion when the board meets, as will a new president, board chair, and legal counsel. Eddie Speir, a new board member, put forth all of these concepts in a recent Substack post.
Former Orlando-based Democratic state representative Carlos Guillermo Smith connected Speir’s idea to the governor’s financing declaration.
The state will spend $15 MILLION to import right-wing professors to Florida to replace them once DeSantis-controlled board members of (New College) FIRE all faculty who fail to pledge fealty to his agenda, Smith stated on Twitter.
DeSantis projected that a large number of new professors will apply to teach at New College.
Professors want to leave the stifling atmosphere that permeates so many university campuses, so they question how I’m able to join, he said.
The idea will be approved by the Legislative Budget Commission in the coming weeks, the governor announced on Tuesday, adding that legislative leaders have agreed to immediately donate $15 million to New College.
“You’re going to be in a situation where you can go out and gather people and say:
“Hey, this is the mission. That’s what we want to do. Is that attractive?” increase.”
“The model being used at New College is not working,” said Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, who said she supports the governor’s request for funds. “They need to get back on track and they need funding for that.”
The funding announcement for the new university was made at a press conference at Florida State University in Bradenton. DeSantis published several higher education reform ideas. Most notably, all universities plan to cut budgets for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. in Florida.
DeSantis has denounced his DEI initiative at Florida’s colleges, especially his College of New York. He also accused New College of teaching theories that have become major points of contention among conservatives in recent years, including critical race theory (CRT) and gender theory.
“I think the mission was more DEI, CRT, and gender ideology than what a liberal arts education should be,” DeSantis said of New College.
Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist appointed by DeSantis to the New College Board of Governors, joined the governor at a press conference on Tuesday. Rufo has been a leading critic of the DEI, CRT, and transgender policies.
A protest was planned by New College supporters before the 3:00 p.m. board meeting.
DeSantis said his funding plan demonstrates his commitment to making New College a success. “Think about it,” he said. “How many times have we had $15 million thrown in so that we can hire faculty quickly? Can we provide scholarships for the brightest students? Otherwise, you’re just going to run out of money.”
