Board of Trustees oust New College president as DeSantis revamps Florida education

The New College of Florida board of trustees has ousted its president, the first major shakeup of the institution since Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed six new members to the board.

President Patricia Okker will be succeeded by former Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, according to Politico. Corcoran previously served as the state's 100th Speaker of the House.

The DeSantis administration had contended that New College had been "completely captured by a political ideology that puts trendy, truth-relative concepts above learning," per the outlet. 

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo, one of the newly appointed trustees, denied that the decision was meant to reflect poorly on Okker, but that the state-driven push for a change in the school's direction merited new leadership.

"New leadership is the expectation and I think it makes sense... I don't think it's a condemnation of Dr. Okker, scholarship or skills or character," he said.

"The reality is, and it's a hard reality and it's a sad reality, but the vision that we created together is not the vision I have been given as a mandate here," Okker told the board and campus, per the outlet.

The institution has fewer than 700 undergraduate students. Attendees may personalize their education plans and the school does not assign letter grades. The leadership change likely portends a more substantive shakeup of the school's entire educational approach.