‘Where learning goes to die’: DeSantis’s rightwing takeover of a liberal arts college

When Nicholas Clarkson submitted his letter of resignation as an assistant professor of gender studies at New College of Florida (NCF) on 17 August, he became the 41st faculty member who has chosen not to return to its Sarasota campus during this year’s fall semester.

The decision was not a hasty one: throughout the first half of 2023, Clarkson went about his teaching responsibilities even as he witnessed how the progressive, inclusive ethos of the small liberal arts college was being steadily eroded by a board of trustees dominated by political allies of Ron DeSantis, the rightwing Florida governor, whom he named in January.

As DeSantis pursues his quest for the Republican party’s presidential nomination in 2024, he made battling liberal causes across the state a core part of his campaign. His attempt to transform New College was a centerpiece of that effort, triggering national headlines and unleashing chaos on the campus.

Now the transformation of New College that he set in motion eight months ago continues unabated. The exodus of staff represents a staggering 40% of the entire faculty who were employed during the spring semester of the 2022-23 academic year.

First came the abrupt removal of Patricia Oker, the president of New College, at the first meeting of the reconstituted board in late January. Then came a vote by the trustees three months later to deny tenure to five of Clarkson’s faculty colleagues who had been strongly recommended by scholars from within New College as well as outside the institution of higher education.