New College of Florida compliant with principles of accreditation, report says

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, also known as SACSCOC, affirmed that New College of Florida was compliant with principles of accreditation in two letters on Dec. 14.

The accreditation body came to the conclusion after several inquiries relating to explanations of the school’s institutional mission, mission review, board/administrative distinction, academic freedom, academic governance, and hiring practices were brought about following unsolicited accusations submitted to SACSCOC.

New College President Richard Corcoran provided a statement on the decision in a press release.

“This administration has been ethically grounded in running the College since Day One and has never wavered in its commitment to supporting our students, hiring talented and qualified people, and pursuing a mission to become the best liberal arts institution in America,” Corcoran said.

“While we understand the obligation SACSCOC had to look into the information they were provided, we are glad to move beyond this inquiry and put the matter to rest,” he added.

New College has been throughly scrutinized by those who opposed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ actions to replace the Board of Trustees, leading to the abolishment of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion bureaucracies at the institution.

The board’s decision to eliminate the Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence was expected to result in an annual savings of more than $250,000, according to the first draft policy.

DeSantis’ former chief of staff, James Uthmeier, said at the time he envisioned New College to become the “Hillsdale of the South,” during the governor’s replacement of the board.

Hillsdale College is a Christian liberal arts school in Hillsdale, Mich. that has been labeled as the higher education model that Republicans seek to implement across the United States.

“The New College Board of Trustees is succeeding in its mission to eliminate indoctrination and re-focus higher education on its classical mission,” DeSantis said in an August press release commending the school’s new leadership.

Corcoran said in the press release that a true liberal arts education teaches students “how to think not what to think.”

“While providing a classical, liberal-arts education was originally the goal of New College when it was founded, New College – like many other colleges recently – began going down a path of ideological indoctrination,” Corcoran said.

“However, the inspirational vision of empowering students with an education that provides them with the tools to be creative and critical thinkers is bigger than any of us,” he added. “People are powerfully drawn to that idea and want an education like this for themselves and their children. That is why New College is succeeding – and why we are only going to grow bigger and better next year.”