My daughter graduated from New College. It’s something worth saving.
I am absolutely heartbroken at what is happening to New College of Florida in Sarasota, the Honors College of the State University System, the top non-military public liberal arts college in the country, and hands down the best college in this state. (“Corcoran to lead New College as DeSantis moves to curtail DEI, tenure at universities,” Jan. 31)
NCF was founded in the 1960s as part of a movement to explore better ways to educate students; it is one of the last remaining colleges from that movement. NCF issues no grades. NCF has no traditional general education requirements. What it does offer is a strenuous curriculum, narrative evaluations, an individualized degree plan and more.
My daughter chose to attend NCF over UF and the seven other schools to which she was admitted and graduated from NCF in 2021. Because she had numerous disability issues, I went with her. Literally. We lived in a two-bedroom student apartment 5 minutes from campus. She went to class; I went and sat in the library.
Because I had a front-row seat to my daughter’s college education, I can tell you that it was absolutely first-rate. I have three graduate degrees, and I never worked as hard anywhere as my daughter did her four years at NCF.
The workload is tremendous and yields incredible results. Upon graduation, these kids are ready for grad school. They have already completed a thesis and defense, demonstrating that they are more than ready to take the next step. In addition, coursework in each major is geared towards success in both grad school and future careers in that field. These are not classes where students just sit and listen to lectures. They are engaged.
Annually, NCF produces a disproportionate number of the state’s Fulbright Scholars; with only 0.3% as many students as can be found in the state university system, NCF produces 11% of the Fulbright Scholars — 40 times as many as would be expected. In short, it is a school which should make us all proud.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken this amazing school and turned it into a political issue. At present, NCF provides a rich, inclusive, and diverse education unparalleled in this state. It should be allowed to continue doing what it does so very well. Instead, DeSantis is trying to turn NCF into a far-right bastion focusing on “classical education,” a euphemism for a conservative religious education. He would have to gut the place to do so, removing students, faculty, values, and the education NCF currently provides, leaving behind only the infrastructure.
He is well on his way. He has with one stroke made appointments to NCF’s Board of Trustees which give it a far-right conservative majority with plans to remake NCF. They fired the highly qualified president of the college and are set to install Richard Corcoran, an unqualified man with an ultraright-wing political agenda and no Ph.D.
The idea that my daughter is going to have to spend the rest of her life saying, “I graduated from New College … no no! Back when it was good!” is just heartbreaking.
If DeSantis and his ilk want a new conservative and likely Christian college in this state, let them found one. Let them secure private funding. Don’t let them gut the wonderful New College of Florida.