New College is the honors college of the state university system. It cared too much about race and gender, so Governor Ron DeSantis grabbed control by appointing hard-right conservatives to the New College board of trustees. The new board fired the President, a respected scholar who earned $350,000 a year and replaced her with politician Richard Corcoran, who served as Speaker of the House and State Commissioner of Education. He has no experience in higher education, but is an enthusiastic proponent of charters and vouchers, as well as DeSantis’ ally in fighting “woke,” liberalism and progressivism.
His charge is to turn this small bastion of progressivism into a small bastion of conservatism.
The New College Board voted to give him a five-year compensation package of salary and bonuses that may total $1.3 million, equal to that of the president of the University of Florida, which enrolls 61,000 students. New College has about 800.
So far, Corcoran has succeeded in driving out one-third of the faculty and has abolished diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, as well as gender studies. He has established athletic teams and is recruiting athletes.
Mel Brooks said in his film “A History of the World, Part 1,” that “It’s good to be the king.” In Florida today, it’s good to be a crony of DeSantis.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
And it goes on and on and on….
Another FLA headline this week: “Florida rule would limit talk of ‘social issues’ at public universities”
According to The Tampa Bay Times, “A draft version being circulated for feedback says in part that universities may not spend public money on activities that ‘advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion” or “promote or engage in political or social activism.'”
What???
https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/10/23/florida-rule-would-limit-talk-social-issues-public-universities/
“Social issues are defined as ‘topics that polarize or divide society among political, ideological, moral, or religious beliefs, positions, or norms.’
‘I can’t think of anything that doesn’t,’ said Gerard Solis, general counsel for the University of South Florida. Speaking to USF’s faculty senate on Thursday, he questioned whether that wording could prohibit commentary surrounding events like Black History Month or even American Pharmacists Month, which is observed in October.
The document is ‘absolutely horrific’ and goes beyond what the legislation required, said Andrew Gothard, president of United Faculty of Florida, the statewide faculty union.
‘It limits ways for students to be active members of society and speak their minds, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum, he said.
Exactly. It’s all about control.
And, people like the guy at New College will profit.
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This is alarming in the extreme. What are we headed toward?
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How can any social studies teacher discuss the causes of any conflicts in history without discussing divisive issues that led to the conflict? DeSantis, the faux defender of freedom, intends to intimidate pubic school teachers and impinge on their right to teach facts. This plan is an ideological gag order on free speech and truth.
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It’s reported that part of the reason Emmer failed to get the nomination of his party, was his position in favor of gay marriage.
“Out of control,” where o where would the source of DeSantis’ bigotry be?
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The new speaker is very anti-abortion and homophobic.
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Mike Johnson said he is a Christian first. His comment included his ranking of the other roles he plays which are lesser, husband, US representative, etc.
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This is Fascism at its finest. DeSantis is the head Fascist. He wants people who are dumbed down, do not understand social issues, who are not allowed to speak on social issues, and who are not a threat to people like him.
This is exactly what happened in the 1920s and 30s and we all understand what it led to — World War I and the destruction of most of Europe.
I can see an event on one of the Florida campuses of high learning where the students decide to speak out on an important social issue that DeSantis does not want the student addressing. I can see, as it happen on the campus of Kent State, the National Guard being called in to disperse the students. Many of us have been around to remember what happened at Kent State.
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“This is Fascism at its finest. DeSantis is the head Fascist.”
Not just fascism but regressive xtian theofascism. DeSantis and his xtian ilk would love to take the US back to a time and place that never was. . . and never will be. . . a far more fantastical world than Disney World could ever conceive. It is fascism with an unhealthy dose of xtianity thrown in.
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DeSantis’ vandalism of the New College is depressing indeed. However, on a somewhat brighter note, if I may, many New College students have found refuge at my alma mater, Hampshire College, which has led to a revival of Hampshire’s fortunes, which were dire indeed just three years ago.
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New College was very similar to Hampshire College.
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Yeah–it was on our radar screen when I was a student at Hampshire from 1991-1995. There are still a few of these schools around, thank goodness.
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Vandalism
Le mot juste
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Floriduh, Where 🧠s Go To Die ⚰️
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I so hope that in a better time, Flor-uh-duh will go blue again, and a governor who is not a moron will put a scholar in charge of New College again, instead of an unqualified political crony paid a criminal salary, and one by one, reverse every policy that DeMoron put in place.
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The middle school where I teach has far more than 800 students. It’s part of a school district with several hundreds of thousands of students. The superintendent of my entire district, the superintendent of the local sub-district, the principal, and the assistant principal combined don’t make a million dollars.
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These creeps in charge in Flor-uh-duh make no attempt at all to hide the grift. They do it right out in the open, knowing that the Bubbas and the Bubbettes won’t give a hoot as long as they keep “ownin’ the libs.”
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