A.G. Gancarski
Florida’s Governor told Michigan Republicans that no one had heard of the state’s public honors college before his recent revamp.
In remarks at the Midland County Republican Party Spring Breakfast, Ron DeSantis offered scathing remarks about New College of Florida.
“I had a small liberal arts college in Sarasota called New College of Sarasota (sic). I don’t think anyone had even heard of it. Very few people had heard of it. It was performing very poorly,” DeSantis contended.
“It was supposed to be Florida’s top honors college in the entire state under Florida Statute. That’s what it says. But what happened is it became an ideological epicenter. It was all about things like gender ideology, (critical race theory) and all that,” DeSantis added. “And we don’t think that that has a lot of value from the perspective of our taxpayers.”
The Governor framed his drastic revision to the college’s board of trustees, which installed former Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran as President and gave him a $699,000 salary, as a way to “make sure it aligns with the state’s values.”
“I appointed in January six conservative board members to the board of trustees,” DeSantis recounted.
“They fired the President, hired a conservative President, got rid of the provost, eliminated (diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives) and CRT, and said the mission of New College is not to be a Marxist indoctrination center, but is actually to be the top classical liberal arts public college in America. So we’re on our way to do that.”
On Jan. 6, 2023 the Governor named six new members (Mark Bauerlein, Debra Jenks, Charles Kesler, Christopher Rufo, Matthew Spalding and Eddie Speir) to the board, in a push to make the quirky Southwest Florida school what one senior aide called the “Hillsdale of the South.” Providentially, the Governor will speak at Michigan’s Hillsdale College Thursday evening.
Those board members are subject to Senate confirmation, and that process is moving this Legislative Session. On Wednesday, the Senate Education Postsecondary Committee advanced the confirmation of the new trustees on a 5-2 party-line vote.
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Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
14 comments
TJC
April 6, 2023 at 11:24 am
No one’s ever heard of New College? It’s been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best publicly funded liberal arts colleges in the nation every year for the last few decades. Watch that disappear now that DeSantis is turning it into his little pet school.
Ron DeSantis wears High Heels
April 6, 2023 at 12:12 pm
It will turn into the new Liberty University full of Flat Earthers, and people who think that dinosaurs never existed.
Christopher S Davis
April 6, 2023 at 4:40 pm
When people like Fleur D’uh Gub’ner Rhonda’s Panties make statements such “People had never heard of [such and such] before I [blah blah blah],” what they mean is they had never heard of it, and they narcissistically assume everyone on Earth shares their level of ignorance.
M. Mouse
April 6, 2023 at 11:26 am
“…it was performing very poorly.”
He lies.
Earl Pitts American
April 6, 2023 at 1:24 pm
Good afternoon Mickey,
Its great to see you sobered up enough from another perv party over at Hunter B’s house. Please tell us condoms were used this time.
And Mickey your wife Minnie is so worried. Please tell us where we can pick you up. We’ve found a beautiful new party resort we want to check you into. It’s called The Betty Ford Clinic…err…we mean The Betty Ford Party Palace. Just tell us where you are Mickey and Minnie and I will send a car….err….I mean a Party Bus to pick you up. And Mickey take a shower with lots of soap.
Thank you M. Mouse,
Earl Pitts American
Pearl Schitts
April 6, 2023 at 2:12 pm
Pretty hi-larious comment coming from a registered sex offender.
Mick
April 7, 2023 at 11:39 am
Right. Performing poorly. Does he read the rankings in nearly every significant measure. Wow. Political spin and totally false narrative.
Billy the Bamboozler Embezzler
April 6, 2023 at 11:31 am
Probably people from that college voted for him before that comment. GOP swirling the toilet faster and faster every week. Only deplorables propping up these hogs at this point. Rich people’s puppets from out back in the woods somewhere.
Corruption in Florida
April 6, 2023 at 12:47 pm
DeSantis is more narcissistic than Trump. Is that even possible? This guy is an absolute clown show. And I think about how Disney took him to school just shows how week he will be on the national stage.
He’s not a defender of freedom he’s more a defender of hate
Ron DeSantis wears High Heels
April 6, 2023 at 3:27 pm
The rest of America won’t even be able to see him on the National Stage unless he’s standing on milk crates so he can see over the podium at the debates.
Cassandra Potter
April 6, 2023 at 4:14 pm
In breaking news, Michigan politicians have decided that Hillsdale College will now become the New College of the Midwest.
Students are rejoicing!
Elena DeOro
April 7, 2023 at 11:08 am
Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!
Edward Freeman
April 18, 2023 at 6:50 am
Is he trying to be as dumb as Trump too? I swear as the Republican Party shrinks towards irrelevance largely as a result of Florida events and residents the Party is producing truly bizarre and terrifying candidates. They are however entertaining for their sheer idiocy. This clown has no chance of ever being anything more than Florida’s worst governor, which I admit is an impressive achievement considering Rick Scott and Napoleon Bonaparte Broward.
Can't Make This Stuff Up
April 18, 2023 at 7:12 am
The child separations at the southern border were the first thing that made most Americans notice how horrible Donald Trump is. He probably could not have been re-elected in any case, but the child separations sealed his fate. Just wait until Americans find out that DeSantis oversaw the physical torture of children at Gitmo.
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