Say goodbye to gender studies and hello to record enrollment at New College of Florida.
"New College of Florida is blazing a trail of success and setting the standard for operating a university," posted Governor Ron DeSantis on X. "The board abolished the school’s gender studies program and now has the highest enrollment in school history. Pushing indoctrination and handing out worthless degrees is no way to prepare students for successful careers."
New College of Florida is blazing a trail of success and setting the standard for operating a university. The board abolished the school’s gender studies program and now has the highest enrollment in school history.
Pushing indoctrination and handing out worthless degrees is no…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 18, 2023
This follows the Governor and the Board of Governor’s appointment of seven new members of the Board of Trustees, and approval of $52.7 million in total funding in the Framework for Freedom Budget, which included $25 million for operational enhancements and student scholarships. Under the leadership of Interim President Richard Corcoran and the newly appointed Board of Trustees, NCF is experiencing record enrollment with an increase of over 300 students this year, marking the highest enrollment of new students in school history, and over 800 students this year, according to DeSantis's press office.
“A true liberal arts education teaches students how to think not what to think. While providing a classical, liberal-arts education was originally the goal of New College when it was founded, New College - like many other colleges recently - began going down a path of ideological indoctrination,” said Interim President of New College Richard Corcoran. “However, the inspirational vision of empowering students with an education that provides them with the tools to be creative and critical thinkers is bigger than any of us. People are powerfully drawn to that idea and want an education like this for themselves and their children. That is why New College is succeeding - and why we are only going to grow bigger and better next year.”
Left-wing media lamented the move by Governor Ron DeSantis to appoint six conservatives to the Board in January including Christopher J. Rufo, an avid researcher and staunch critic of Critical Race Theory.
“Rufo’s research and activism inspired a presidential order and legislation in fifteen states, where he has worked closely with conservative governors and lawmakers to craft successful public policy,” DeSantis said.
Left-wing media also lamented the alleged exodus of professors from the college following the changes by the new board.
"By abolishing the Gender Studies program, New College of Florida became the first University in the Nation to push back against gender indoctrination," according to a statement from DeSantis's press office.
“The New College Board of Trustees is succeeding in its mission to eliminate indoctrination and re-focus higher education on its classical mission,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis has repeatedly urged students to avoid going into debt for useless degrees like "zombie studies" in favor of learning a valuable trade.
"You've got a lot of students over the last generation that go a hundred thousand dollars in debt. They get a degree in Zombie Studies. Then they end up working at a a job they could have had out of high school. If we provide people with career education in skills in things like electrical, HVAC and welding, you have huge opportunities," said DeSantis in February.
@GovRonDeSantis tells kids not to rack up $100,000 in debt getting a degree in Zombie Studies 👏 pic.twitter.com/5rdMdXQzzC
— Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) February 23, 2022
Governor DeSantis's office points to the following accomplishments under NCF's new board.
- The replacement of far-left faculty with new professors aligned with the university’s mission.
- The elimination of DEI focused positions which comes with savings of over $200,000 dollars annually.
- An increase in first-year enrollment for Black and Hispanic students – a nearly four time increase of Black students and a nearly double increase of Hispanic students.
- The introduction of intercollegiate athletics outside of existing intramural sports by forming six teams and a scholarship fund for incoming athletes, and recruitment nearly 150 student athletes since launching the athletic program in the spring.
