DeSantis predicts ‘positive results’ after New College of Florida receives funding, leadership changes

BRADENTON, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis said he expects to see “positive results very quickly” after New College of Florida receives additional funding for recruitment, which follows a recent leadership change.

The college is a top-ranked public liberal arts college that has around 700 students. The governor previously appointed new leadership to replaces the institution’s “equity” ideology for a merit-based approach.

“I think the more we’re centering higher education on integrity of the academics, excellence, pursuit of truth, teaching kids to think for themselves, not trying to impose an orthodoxy, you are going to see people flooding into these institutions,” he explained.

DeSantis said that it is important that tax dollars are funding institutions that people can be proud of.

“I think you’re gonna see some really positive results very quickly out of New College and I think this will be able to build off of the momentum that we have in higher education all across the state,” he said.

He said the legislature agreed to immediately authorize $15 million for New College of Florida for recruiting new faculty and providing scholarships to students.

“You’re going to have a situation where you’re going to be able to go out recruit people to come say, hey, here’s the mission, here’s what we’re looking to do – is this something that appeals? and I think you’re going to be able to get a lot, a lot of good people to do it,” he said.

“I think that’s important. And I can tell you this, you have people who are interested in donating money now they want to endowed professorships and all this stuff. And so it just shows you if the if the mission is sound, people really respond to it.”

Going forward, $10 million will be recurring every year for the college’s faculty recruitment and salaries, he said. DeSantis previously appointed new leadership at New College of Florida. He made six appointments that would need to be approved by the Republican-controlled Florida Senate.

In addition, he said they plan to budget $100 million dollars for recruiting and retention of highly qualified faculty members at all of Florida’s state universities.

“I think you’re gonna see us modeling the new standard that’s being set,” said Christopher Rufo, one of DeSantis’ new appointees to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees.

“The governor has the courage to set a new standard, the legislators have the courage to set a new standard and back it up with an investment and say, this is going to be a place where equality, merit and colorblindness are the law of the land.”

Rufo plans to release one report per week to expose “what’s really happening in these DEI departments here in this state.”

“I’m going to warn you, it’s pretty ugly stuff,” he said. “They take the ideologies of critical race theory, radical gender theory, they divide the world into oppressor and oppressed.”

During the press conference, Emily Sturge, a student at University of Florida, said her university has “fallen corrupt to the woke ideals taught by leftist professors.”

“I have professors who are telling me that America is the most racist nation, I have professors who are lecturing the importance of the COVID vaccine than actual coursework, and I have professors who are telling me that in this country, women have no rights,” Sturge said.

Sturge said students who speak up and offer a different perspective are vilified.

“Last year, I wrote a research paper on the importance of women learning how to conceal carry and the importance of the second amendment as a tool of empowerment. I received an ‘F.’ On another paper I took a little bit of a different approach. I wrote about the wonderfulness of marxism, and I received a 98% and compliments from my professor,” she said.

“So the ultimate takeaway there is what students are learning in the classroom – that’s the future of our country […] Thank you Governor DeSantis for letting me share my story and thank you Governor DeSantis for the initiatives for bringing light to this issue on my campus and so many others.”