New College board replaces president with former GOP House speaker, DeSantis ally

[Zorro]

The whirlwind of conservative reforms rapidly reshaping New College of Florida picked up speed Tuesday during the first meeting of a college board revamped by Gov. Ron DeSantis, with the school's president replaced by a DeSantis ally as part of a broader leadership overhaul that capped a momentous stretch for the school.

Jan. 31, 2023 could be remembered as a day of significance for the school on par with it's founding in 1960 as a progressive, private college.

In less than four hours the slate of new board members installed by DeSantis earlier this month replaced college President Patricia Okker with former GOP House speaker, education commissioner and ardent DeSantis ally Richard Corcoran, installed a DeSantis appointee as the new board chair, moved to hire a former Republican lawmaker as the school's new general counsel and began the process of abolishing programs aimed at increasing diversity, equity and inclusion on campus, turbo charging a dramatic conservative culture shift.

Corcoran has been an eager participant in the governor's education culture wars, and soon will take the lead in his experiment in overhauling a public university to match his conservative approach to higher education. He was appointed interim president but can't take the job until March, so a college administrator will serve in the role until then.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/sarasota/2023/01/31/richard-corcoran-becomes-interim-president-of-sarasotas-new-college/69858928007/

"Okker was fired by the board without cause..."

[Lovie777]

1. I'm already hearing new college students are looking elsewhere.....

[OrlandoDem2]

3. It would be great if every student transferred.

[Phoenix61]

2. So sad. A dear friend graduated from there in the 80's

and later went on to get her master’s in civil engineering from UF. I know she has to be heart broken.

[bahboo]

4. how the fuck does this happen....

fascist fucks....

[Easterncedar]

5. My family there are grief-stricken

This is a nightmare, and an assault on academic freedom that we should all be standing up against.

[Timeflyer]

6. This is the tactic--fill the school board with DeSantis allies, blitzkrieg firing of administrators,

ignore objections from concerned citizens, proceed to occupation of all branches of education in FL. Give conservative billionaire donors access to all public tax dollars previously spent providing public education, force entry of corporate charter schools into every district. Continue to purchase compliant politicians with money skimmed off top of the public's tax dollars. Rule them all!