Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a media event today at Pensacola State College – PSC Presser. He will most likely tout his higher education reforms.
He may also talk about New College of Florida, where he and the Board of Governors appointed seven new Trustees in early 2023 to remake the small liberal arts honors college in Sarasota into a conservative institution. In the past, he commended the success of New College of Florida (NCF) under the leadership of President Richard Corcoran. However, Benjamin Brown disagrees.
Behind the New College Spin
Brown resigned as the Chair of the New College of Florida Alumni Association earlier this year. In a recent visit to Pensacola, Brown said:
“The alumni don’t have any confidence in Richard Corcoran as the operational manager of New College as a business. It’s gone very poorly.”
Unlike UWF, the New College had issues before DeSantis took over the school, and Corcoran hasn’t improved things. “I would say that Richard Corcoran has broken some things that worked, but a big part of the problem is not fixing things that were broken, and then they continue to fester.”
- The Sarasota community and alumni have pulled back. “Sarasota has kind of checked out. We had a very long-term donor base that we’ve been just alienated totally,” Brown said. “Alumni giving rates were over 18% back in 2019, and now we’re under 10%.”
He shared, “I just submitted a report to the Board of Trustees on Tuesday morning (April 8) detailing where the college is operationally and financially, and it’s a horribly bad picture.”
Five Pressing Issues Facing New College
Brown gave Inweekly a copy of the report that outlined five critical issues facing the institution, which he believes need immediate attention. Read Five Pressing Issues Facing New College of Florida.
Recruitment and Admissions Crisis
Brown points to stagnating enrollment figures and declining academic standards as evidence of a recruitment crisis.
- “The most important fact about the College’s admissions operation is that it is not effective,” he wrote. “Under current operations, the marginal cost of recruiting each student is very high, but we see only modest stabilization of enrollment and a rapidly falling standard of academic qualification for attendance at the College.”
Brown noted standardized test scores have dropped to historic lows, with average SAT scores falling from 1320 in 2018 to 1140 in 2024. Brown states bluntly: “Today, we confront all-time low standardized test scores for New College’s students (all-time: since the College’s founding).”
Foundation Financial Transparency Issues
The report raises serious concerns about the New College Foundation’s transparency. “The primary lack of transparency I would like to surface is that the Foundation’s Board does not know the precise sources or attributions of income from among its various funds, and does not know how specific funds are used toward expenditures as they come due.”
- Brown added: “The Foundation’s financials are purpose-built to conceal many expenditures and further conceal ongoing liabilities. Our College administration has taken a clear position that the College is ultimately responsible for the Foundation: a position that implies not just control, but also responsibility.”
Fiscal Efficiency Concerns
Brown referenced statements about the College’s high cost-per-student, noting, “The suggestion, from a credible official, that the cost of New College’s program on a per-student basis may be as high as $140,000 shocked me.”
- He argued this cost structure cannot be sustained, writing: “We know with near certainty that per-student costs on the scale alleged by Board of Governors Member Silagy will eventually cause a crisis if they are maintained year after year.”
Lack of Strategic Direction
“New College’s offering to the marketplace seems muddled,” Brown stated. He questioned the institution’s identity with a series of pointed questions: “Are we a classical learning program? A great books program? A center for achievement in athletics? A refuge from a stultifying dogmatism prevalent elsewhere in higher education? An academically high-achieving college characterized by student initiative, undergraduate research, and personalized education?”
Stalled Physical Development
On housing issue: “It’s been over two years since the new administration assumed control, and we hear only vague statements about ‘master plans’ when it comes to the pressing need for dormitory space.” He emphasizes that “for as long as building plans remain in this unexplained limbo, the College will remain locked into a high cost structure.”
- Brown appealed to trustees with a clear call to action: “My goal herein has been to convince you that these five issues have become so acute that they require a hands-on approach from you, as Trustees. Trustees are not mere spectators, and in a time of high risk must exercise appropriate oversight and control.”