DeSantis Shakes Up New College to Create a Conservative Haven

Photo byPhoto by: Alaska Miller/ Wikimedia Commons

Governor Ron DeSantis is shaking up Florida schools in attempt to create conservative strongholds.

This week, Florida GOP lawmakers agreed to send over $34 million to the New College in an attempt to transform the school into a political institution with a conservative-promoting agenda.

New College is the "public honors college, educating free thinkers, risk-takers, and trailblazers," as they claim on their website.

Now GOP is investing millions to change these values.

The conservative factory

DeSantis-appointed trustees will run the school from now on. They have access to new funds to support school operations, assist with facility repairs, and offer scholarships to entice students.

"With the new board, and the new direction, we want to … [invest] in their success so we have another great institution on our list," said State Rep. Jason Shoaf, the House's higher education budget chief.

DeSantis, who nominated six new trustees in January to restructure the institution as a "Hillsdale of the South" - a reference to the conservative Christian Liberal Arts College in Michigan – led Florida's annual legislative session to success for NewCollege.

The actions supported the DeSantis administration's battle against "wokeness" and "indoctrination" in the state's higher education system, which was the focus of several high-profile measures during the session.

GOP legislators are prepared to send a historic amount of money to New College to achieve that goal, even going above and beyond what DeSantis requested.

The school received more than $34 million in the state budget that legislators are about to approve.

The state university has long struggled with enrollment and needs to catch up with other institutions to satisfy the state's performance goals. Lawmakers are optimistic that the cash infusion would help turn the university around.

Three years ago, the cost of generating graduates at the institution was higher than other schools, prompting House lawmakers to think about merging New College with Florida State University.

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