FLORIDA — John Oliver dedicated an episode of his television program to examine changes at a Florida liberal arts college following intervention by Governor Ron DeSantis.
In 2023, DeSantis appointed six allies to the board of trustees of the college, including Christopher Rufo. The college was founded in the 1960s with an academic model that did not use grades and focused on independent study. A 2018 report indicated the college ranked third in the U.S. in producing graduates who subsequently earned doctoral degrees. Following the appointments, trustees removed the college president and replaced him with Richard Corcoran, a former speaker of the Florida House.
Corcoran eliminated the college's gender studies program and changed the college mascot to a banyan tree with a face. The gender studies program had a budget of $7,000 for projects and expenses and employed a part-time office manager. Corcoran also appointed Bruce Gilley as a presidential scholar in residence. Gilley is the author of the book "The Case for Colonialism."
DeSantis said: "If you want to spend your time on some Marxist commune, if that's what you want to do with your life, who am I to say? But I don't want the taxpayers of Florida funding that." Oliver said: "Back when Ron DeSantis thought he still had a shot at being president, he made a lot of noise about how he was going to 'de-wokeify' New College, despite admitting he didn't know much about it." Oliver also said: "In researching this piece, we talked to so many students, and one big takeaway is that the school's administration seems to care much more about political posturing than it does about their actual lives."
More than a third of the college's professors were fired, took leave, or voluntarily resigned during Corcoran's leadership. The incoming class for Corcoran's first full academic year consisted of 328 students. Former admissions office employees claimed the administration increased enrollment by lowering admissions standards, and the male student population increased by over 23%. Corcoran's administration offered scholarships to 70 male baseball players despite the college lacking a baseball field. A state audit found the public cost to produce a degree at the college reached nearly $500,000, and administrative costs increased, including an annual salary of over $1 million for Corcoran. Corcoran said: "We requested two million dollars for a 'cancel cancel culture center'." Oliver said: "The whole New College experiment has been a complete shit show." Oliver added: "But if this is that model, it fucking sucks."