DeSantis makes election day stop at Sarasota’s New College to push higher ed agenda

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a stop at New College of Florida in Sarasota on the day of the state’s primary election to defend his record on higher education and tout his efforts to root out “woke” curricula.

DeSantis, who is not up for reelection, appeared Tuesday alongside a lineup of state officials, New College President Richard Corcoran and U.S. Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education David Barker.

The panel underscored how Florida leaders have sought to push conservative efforts to remake higher education alongside President Donald Trump, with New College of Florida a centerpiece in their plan. 

Since DeSantis overhauled New College’s Board of Trustees and helped install Corcoran as college president, the new leadership has sought to reshape the small liberal arts school — previously known for its quirky and progressive student body — into a conservative institution. 

The transformation has drawn intense pushback from students, faculty, alumni and other critics, who have protested changes to the school’s leadership, academics, culture and financial management.

Christopher Rufo, one of the former trustees DeSantis appointed and a prominent right-wing political commentator, helped make the school a symbol of Republican efforts to remake higher education.

The panel discussion cast Florida and the Trump administration in lockstep in that push.

“Florida really has led the way on higher education,” Barker said. “Florida showed that things could be done, and I think that’s why higher education actually became a … national campaign issue in 2024 — because people started to see hope that something could be done about our higher education system.”

During the 90-minute panel, Corcoran echoed the idea that conservatives are locked in a battle for the future of Western civilization. He alleged that colleges and universities regularly graduate students who “despise Western civilization.” 

“Those people,” he said, “are more dangerous than people who get no education at all.” 

DeSantis nodded to the overhaul of New College several times during the panel.

“It was very, very dilapidated,” DeSantis said, referring to New College before it drew his focus. “It needed a lot of love, and we were really the first administration to infuse money into this place.”

Under DeSantis, New College has increasingly relied on state appropriations to fund its operations, with the Florida Legislature nearly doubling public funding for the school during the last five years.

According to a DOGE review of spending within Florida’s State University system, it costs $494,715 to produce a degree at New College. That’s $340,502 more than Florida Polytechnic University, the second most expensive. 

This year, the state transferred University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College — and with it, $53 million in debt, according to USF officials.

DeSantis brushed off those concerns on Tuesday. 

“Those were basically an emergency lifeline to be able to get this place … to reach its full potential,” he said, of the state appropriations. “Obviously, you’re not going to keep spending that money. It’s kind of a one-shot deal, and I think it’s done very, very well.”