Dem
51
GOP
49
New College of Florida used to be a small liberal bastion in an otherwise conservative state. It never had (or wanted) many students, and previous governors ignored it. It didn't cost much and didn't get in the way much, so it was left alone. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) saw it as a woke and helpless target he could shoot down to show how powerful he was. So he appointed a board of governors who would turn it into a conservative paradise. The board installed a new president, Richard Corcoran, an ally of the governor, to turn the school around and drive away all the hippies and replace them with Trumpists-in-training.
Corcoran is working hard to earn his $1.1 million annual salary. He has now drawn up a plan for redoing the school. It will cost the state $593 million, but what's money if you can turn out 200 MAGA-infected students a year, ready to go to war for the governor?
The state legislature is likely to take a good look at a plan that requires an investment per student many times what the other state universities are asking for and getting. The plan is unlikely to survive the scrutiny. The controversy is likely to drive away many students and faculty members. In the end, there may be nothing left and the governor will simply decide to shut it down. If it comes to that, he will no doubt claim that getting rid of this tiny (700 student) woke paradise will be a big improvement for the state's university system and save the taxpayers lots of money. The only losers will be the students of this once-special school. (V)