New College of Florida's Art and Academic Legacy Dismantled Under DeSantis
Since its establishment in 1960 in Sarasota, New College of Florida has undergone significant changes under Governor Ron DeSantis starting in 2023, with Christopher Rufo as the new board leader and Richard Corcoran as president. The institution received $52.7 million in state funding, yet it struggled with inadequate faculty resources, deteriorating historic structures, and obscured murals. In 2023, a costly athletics program welcomed 115 athletes despite lacking facilities, while academic students resided in mold-infested hotel rooms. By early 2026, $2.5 million was reallocated from housing to athletics. Academic performance declined, resulting in a 74-place drop in U.S. News rankings and no Fulbright scholars since 2024. In 2024, thousands of library books were discarded. In May 2026, the Florida legislature proposed merging with USF Sarasota-Manatee, which would reduce NCF's funding by nearly 40%. Alumni arranged alternative graduations featuring speakers such as Maya Wiley.
Key facts
- New College of Florida was founded in 1960 as a private liberal arts college in Sarasota.
- In 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed a new board of trustees including Christopher Rufo and a new president, Richard Corcoran.
- The state provided $52.7 million in funding but faculty were denied tenure and resources, and historic I. M. Pei dorms were closed.
- In 2023, 115 student athletes were admitted, including 70 baseball players, despite no sports facilities; $2.5 million was later diverted from housing to athletics.
- NCF dropped 74 places in U.S. News rankings since 2023 and produced no Fulbright scholars since 2024.
- In 2024, thousands of books were discarded from the library, a move Rufo described as 'throwing out the trash.'
- In May 2026, the Florida legislature moved to transfer the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, with $53 million in debt, to New College, and cut NCF's state funding by nearly 40 percent.
- Student murals were painted over in 2023, and the administration claimed 'no records' of the destruction.
Entities
Artists
- A. S. Hamrah
- Will Tavlin
- Lauren O'Neill-Butler
- I. M. Pei
- Furman C. Arthur
- Charles Ringling
- Bob Johnson
- Jeb Bush
- Ron DeSantis
- Christopher Rufo
- Richard Corcoran
- Elon Musk
- Patricia Okker
- Lewis Powell
- Richard Nixon
- JD Vance
- Donald Trump
- Adam Schrader
- Jamie Miller
- Mac Miller
- Scott Atlas
- Joe Ricketts
- Alan Dershowitz
- Maya Wiley
- M. Gessen
- Viet Thanh Nguyen
- Jeb Lund
- Carlos Beruff
Institutions
- New College of Florida
- University of South Florida
- n+1
- New York Times
- Florida DOGE
- United Faculty of Florida
- Novo Collegian Alliance
- Urgent Matter
- Ringling Museum
- Circus Hall of Fame
- US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
- Stop W.O.K.E. Act
- Florida legislature
- TD Ameritrade
Locations
- Sarasota
- Florida
- United States
- Tampa
- St. Petersburg
- Miami