Summary
New College of Florida, once a liberal arts institution, has undergone a conservative overhaul driven by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and allies, who installed a right-leaning board and administration.
Led by Richard Corcoran, the college has hired faculty with connections to rightwing media and think tanks, sidelining traditional hiring protocols, according to an internal letter.
This transformation, viewed by some Republicans as a model for conservative reform in higher education, has sparked controversy, faculty pushback, and a significant drop in national rankings amidst a shift in curriculum and institutional focus.
That’s not crazy at all, in fact I’m surprised it’s only 40% considering conservative leaders have gutted, stripped and replaced everything the school stands for as well as rocketing down the school ranking lists because of it. I’d be more concerned about the 60% of faculty that remain, personally.
Many are probably trying to find other jobs but may be location locked due to their partner/family. Or jobs may be hard to find because professorships aren’t exactly easy to come by. Some may hope to somehow limit damage and protect at least some students.
Even something as simple as defending the idea that “tenure means tenure,” and riding it out until DeSantis makes that a lie would be laudable IMO.