A revamped New College of Florida Board of Trustees, dominated by conservative allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis, took aim Tuesday at issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion — including deciding to eliminate the school’s Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence.
Tuesday’s meeting also was the first for Interim President Richard Corcoran, a Republican former House speaker and state education commissioner who was appointed after trustees ousted former President Patricia Okker last month.
The board directed Corcoran to eliminate the Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence and move its employees to other departments. The office has a $442,227 budget, four full-time employees and three part-time student employees.
One of the positions nixed was New College’s dean of diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer.
Trustee Christopher Rufo, one of DeSantis’ six recent appointees and a senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, slammed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI, in higher education. Rufo said he and other trustees have a responsibility to embody “the most important principles.”
“And DEI goes against those principles because it restricts academic freedom, it degrades the rigor of scholarship, it treats people differently on the basis of skin color or other inborn identities,” Rufo said.
The elimination of the diversity-related office and other board actions Tuesday drew objections from numerous people who characterized the decisions as politically motivated.
The trustees’ decisions came amid a broader effort by DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature to cut spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the higher-education system. During the upcoming legislative session, lawmakers will consider a bill (HB 999) that seeks to bar schools from promoting, supporting or maintaining programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion or “critical race theory rhetoric.”
Another part of the move to scrap New College’s Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence involved a regulation that will prohibit the Sarasota liberal-arts school from establishing a diversity, equity and inclusion office or hiring an officer for such a department.
The regulation defines diversity, equity and inclusion, in part, as any “effort to manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of the faculty or student body with reference to race, sex, color, or ethnicity, apart from ensuring colorblind and sex-neutral admissions and hiring” in accordance with state and federal standards.
The regulation is based on a report written by Rufo for the Manhattan Institute titled “Abolish DEI Bureaucracies and Restore Colorblind Equality in Public Universities.”
Diego Villada, a professor of theater and performance studies at New College, criticized Rufo’s influence on the changes Tuesday.
“I’m just a humble theater director, but I would hate for you to be making systemic decisions based on the work of board members who are citing themselves in a politically minded think-tank piece from non-empirically approached and non-peer-reviewed scholarship,” Villada said.
The New College trustees also took action to end mandatory diversity-training exercises on the roughly 700-student campus. School leaders were instructed to adopt such a policy in the employee handbook.
The school identified six diversity training programs that have been offered, including one for campus police officers, that would be prohibited.
Bradley Thiessen, chief of staff at New College, told trustees that some of the training exercises have been used sparingly in recent years.
Trustee Grace Keenan, who also is president of the New College Student Alliance, challenged the board’s decisions, essentially arguing that the diversity, equity and inclusion requirements on campus are not overbearing.
“This is not a very impressive DEI bureaucracy is what I’m saying,” Keenan said.
“Then there should be very little resistance to eliminating it. In a sense, that’s good news,” Rufo interjected.
Keenan replied that it “seems like we have spent more time and resources to find out what DEI we do than we are (spending) on doing actual DEI.”
Meanwhile, Corcoran laid out some of his priorities, including saying he will be “working immediately” on recruiting students to the school.
“I think we have great opportunities through the admission process to go out there and build our recruitment, build our argument why students should make New College their first choice,” Corcoran said.
Corcoran has faced sharp opposition from students and faculty, with many saying a $699,000 salary approved by the state university system’s Board of Governors is unwarranted.
–Ryan Dailey, News Service of Florida
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Ronald Schrein says
Communist China comes to Florida!
Jackson1955 says
When will the athletes stand up to his unjust laws?
If college athletes, recruits, across the country refuse to attend colleges and universities in Florida, i.e., University of Florida, Florida State or University of Miami, then you will see a difference.
Probably the last thing conservatives want to do is reawaken a strong liberal student body, but conservatives excel at bringing about unpleasant outcomes for themselves.
Since republicans are too stupid to figure this out on their own, let me explain it to them using small words: Kids aren’t going to go to a college where they don’t have the freedom to talk about certain subjects. Especially since they are paying to go there in the first place. You’re running off your own future.
Laurel says
So, is the board now made up of all black, Jewish females? Uh, no. The all white, “Christian” males will let diversity just happen naturally.
Somebody get DeSantis a GPS device and help him locate a personality.
Nephew Of Uncle Sam says
Should be interesting how many current students will change schools next year.
Pogo says
@Small change, Mr. Dailey
“… Corcoran has faced sharp opposition from students and faculty, with many saying a $699,000 salary approved by the state university system’s Board of Governors is unwarranted.”
–Ryan Dailey, News Service of Florida
A river runs through this…
renner’s real boss seen when kitchen light was turned on in the middle of the night
https://www.google.com/search?q=Leonard+Leo+moved+at+least+43+million+to+a+new+firm+he+is+leading
How a Secretive Billionaire Handed His Fortune to the Architect of the Right-Wing Takeover of the Courts
In the largest known political advocacy donation in U.S. history, industrialist Barre Seid funded a new group run by Federalist Society co-chair Leonard Leo, who guided Trump’s Supreme Court picks and helped end federal abortion rights.
https://www.propublica.org/article/dark-money-leonard-leo-barre-seid
When visible, and invisible, naked lawlessness makes a sham of democratic government and honest business; it becomes self-deception to declare you are free, and live in a country of one man, and one vote.
When the advantage of scale, and unequal power, make a sham of the marketplace, it becomes self-deception to speak of immutable facts, ideals and virtue — when it has already been stolen and/or murdered under our nose.
pardon me, BUT..... says
The regulation defines diversity, equity and inclusion, in part, as any “effort to manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of the faculty or student body with reference to race, sex, color, or ethnicity, apart from ensuring colorblind and sex-neutral admissions and hiring” in accordance with state and federal standards. Sounds like a great move to me. Enough of this favoring certain groups based on gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. Let those who are qualified be judged on their merit, not on a contrived, discriminatory basis, but rather on their capabilities. Stop wasting money on these crap programs and give both faculty and students a chance to prove their own worth without having to meet the “low expectations” and “needs help” guidelines.
CB says
Oh your comment referenced DeSantis. You’re obviously talking about DeSatan.
Joseph Barand says
Once again I was angry because the news did not have a story concerning the death of Ron DeSantis, oh well maybe tomorrow the sun will shine.
Skibum says
… and in the latest news development from Tallahassee, a GOP legislator is putting forth a bill at the State House to make the Democratic Party illegal in Florida – you cannot make this stuff up! With all of the banned books that we aren’t supposed to read so people are kept in the dark about what the GOP is up to in this state, we need to be exceedingly thankful to our gov that we still are allowed to read newspapers and watch TV news here (at least since I last checked yesterday), otherwise we might not have heard that the good ole boy FL legislature now has the state Democratic Party on the chopping block for their next push at total and complete state sponsored censorship. Wow, so much freedom here in the “freedom state”!!!
Laurel says
Skibum: Marjory Tailor Green suggested that it should be illegal for Democrats to vote. I guess it’s good to be NPA.
MTG is so brain dead! My God, they haven’t gotten rid of Santos yet, so they don’t even have the sense to be embarrassed.
I say let them at it. The Republican Party has done a 180 on their own beliefs. They are digging their party a grave, so maybe it’s a good thing. Not only that, but all the Democrats can change to Republicans and still vote their conscience! Shows how stupid things have become.
JimBob says
The only diversity Florida is interested in is at running back, free safety and point guard.
Bill C says
To reach out to New College to help the students by either signing up and/ or donating, go to
https://savenewcollege.org
marlee says
DeSantis= Conservative or Authoritarian Dictator ??
7 Core Principles of Conservatism
Individual Freedom. The birth of our great nation was inspired by the bold declaration that our individual,God-given liberties should be preserved against government intrusion. …
Limited Government. …
The Rule of Law. …
Peace through Strength. …
Fiscal Responsibility. …
Free Markets. …
Human Dignity.