TALLAHASSEE -- Following up on his comments about "trendy ideology" and partisan interest groups in higher education, Governor Ron DeSantis has named six people with ties to conservative institutions to the Board of Trustees at New College in Sarasota. The appointments are subject to confirmation by the State Senate.
The most prominent of the six nominees is Christopher Rufo, a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Manhattan Institute. Rufo has recently led the fight, according to a release from the governor, against critical race theory in American institutions, resulting in legislation in fifteen states. Rufo said in a tweer, "my ambition is to help the new board majority into a classical liberal arts institution. We are recapturing higher education."
Other nominees include Dr. Matthew Spalding, the dean of the school of government at Hillsdale College, Charles Kesler, editor of the Claremont Review of Books, Dr. Mark Bauerlein, a professor at Emory University who wrote the book, "The Dumbest Generation Grows Up," Jason "Eddie" Speir, founder of Inspiration Academy, a Christian school in Bradenton, and Debra Jenks, a lawyer and arbitrator who graduated from New College and serves on the nominating commission for the state's Fourth District court of appeals.
The governor's Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier says they hope to make New College "a Hillsdale of the South."
Since Tuesday's inaugural, DeSantis' administration has been asking state colleges and universities for information about resources they're putting into activities related to critical race theory and DEI -- diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Information from the News Service of Florida was used in this report.
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