Governor Ron DeSantis hates the fact that there is a progressive public college called New College that openly teaches diversity, equity, inclusion, feminist studies, ethnic studies, and gay studies. That’s WOKE, and he vowed to crush anything WOKE.
He named 6 conservatives to the 13-member board, and the board of the state university system added another, meaning that Rightwingers are in charge. A hard-right board needs a hard-right president, and they got one.
Their first meeting was this afternoon, and they are expected to appoint former State Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran as the new president. From the following story, it appears that no one bothered to let the current president of the New College know that she was being shown the door.
DeSantis is showing how to stamp out ideas he doesn’t like, with power, not subtlety. Is he a fascist or is he pretending?
A new board of trustees at New College of Florida intends to name Richard Corcoran as its next President.
Corcoran, a former House Speaker, served as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ first Education Commissioner.
Carlos Trujillo, president and founder of Continental Strategy, revealed the plans in a letter to clients and colleges.
“We are beyond excited to announce that one of our Partners, former Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, will be returning to higher education to serve as the Interim — and hopeful permanent — President of the New College of Florida, in Sarasota,” Trujillo wrote.
“This move comes as part of Gov. DeSantis ongoing work to refocus the university on providing the most value to its students and their parents.”
Corcoran was a founding partner for the consulting firm.
The news comes hours before the first board meeting since DeSantis appointed six new trustees on the 13-member board. The State University System Board of Governors also appointed a new trustee with a similar conservative think tank background.
Of note, work of Corcoran’s apparent hire comes before any news of current President Patricia Okker’s future with the school. Eddie Speir, co-founder of Inspiration Academy, wrote a blog post this weekend promising to call for Okker to be renamed as interim President and to terminate all faculty and staff before deciding who still fit in the new vision for the college.
While Florida’s Sunshine Law requires all decisions by the board to be made in publicly noticed meetings, Trujillo treats the matter like a done deal.
“The selection of Richard distinguishes our firm as a leader in innovation and strategic solutions for the clients we serve. We look forward to finding new synergies that can better serve our current clients and ensure their goals are made a reality,” his letter reads.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Corcoran… zero experience in Education as a teacher, professor… or anything educational… wife CEO of charter school, ties to Rick Scott, the billionaire who bilked Medicare… he is a politician who calls himself pugnacious and calls teachers’ unions evil… dropped out of the University of Florida… (my guess is flunked out as so many do) … St. Leo College BA? Virtual program? Regent College? Look it up..
Richard Corcoran, father of 5 homeschooled kids said in a speech, “I grew up in an Irish Catholic family with 5 kids.” Corcoran’s wife, CEO of a charter school, works with Hillsdale College on education issues. Richard Corcoran attended St. Leo’s, a Catholic college for his B.A. and, attended a Christian college for his J.D.
A journalist opined that DeSantis’ goals are different than what is best for the state of Florida. He is looking to build a base for his presidential run. Polling shows Republicans think White people are victims who face more discrimination than Black people. DeSantis’ chances improve if he can get the conservative Catholic vote along with the evangelical vote.
I already replied to this, but I am not sure it went through. Just Google Richard Corcoran. You will be shocked and amazed at his horrible résumé and demeanor. Take a look at Wikipedia. I know that is not always 100% accurate but you will see that he is a loser from the word go. Catherine Solli, Ed.D. 50 year public school teacher now retired.
Just did. Wow-ee-wow-ee-wow! Perhaps Bobby Jindal will be resurrected as overseer of the entire state system soon.
I hope DeSantis runs. He’ll be in for a shock.
Like certain wines, DeSantis doesn’t travel well. He’s a lousy public speaker. He is terrible with the press. He doesn’t have the national press cowed as he does in Florida. And the dominant demographic isn’t aging white seniors with nothing else to do except whine about how horrible the non-aging, non-white Floridians are.
Trump has become a caricature of himself. That Republicans would go for DeSantis demonstrates how clueless they are. He says the magic words and they swoon.
I concur with everything you mentioned about DeSantis. I doubt his messaging and delivery will be as easily accepted by most of the people under the age of 60 in most states. DeSantis is a horrible, sarcastic speaker, and I doubt his whiney, aggrieved manner and bias will go over well with sane Americans.
The mistake most Republicans make is that they believe everyone thinks like they do. But they don’t interact with normal people much, and are always shocked to find that no, people really don’t agree with them. Their ideas are blinkered, and no, folks don’t believe that drag queen story hours are an existential threat. If they even think of them at all.
It’s a very fire-and-brimstone-based belief system. I grew up not far from Salem, Massachusetts. Folks there got over 1692 a long time ago, and have no wish to return.
The RepubliQan party is now another tentacle of the Kremlin whose job it is to replace our democracy with fascism.
The conservative church culture, White male authoritarianism, is what Putin and the GOP share.
For Putin, it is an orthodox Christian church similar to the GOP’s substantial base, conservative Catholics and protestant evangelicals.
True, Callisto!
Rubles from Russia????
When I was a student at Hampshire College, we were aware of the New College–as well as Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington–as sort of peer schools where students were educated in much the way we were at Hampshire. Students who apply to these colleges, it has always seemed to me (though I stipulate that I may be projecting), are a self-selected group. So, they can just as easily select themselves out of the the New College.
In other words, this particular act of ideological vandalism will very likely destroy this college. But for a nihilist like DeSantis, I suppose that is the point of this enterprise.
Of course it is. Destroy the college, maybe even through a Reichstag fire, then blame the Left.