DeSantis's makeover of 'left-wing' Florida college has high-cost consequences

Nearly three years ago, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis championed his culture war policies during the run-up to a bid for the White House, he vowed to overhaul a small, quirky liberal arts college in Sarasota that was part of the state education system.

New College of Florida was “more into DEI, CRT, the gender ideology,” the Republican governor said, using abbreviations for diversity, equity and inclusion and for critical race theory. He added: “We’re going to be able to offer some reforms.”

DeSantis has largely succeeded in transforming what was one of the most liberal institutions in the state into a school that is now hailed by conservatives across the country. He handpicked a new president and appointed a board of trustees who fired and denied tenure to veteran professors. The school closed its gender studies center. It added sports teams and turned classrooms in a historic campus building into donor-friendly spaces with cigar smoking allowed on the balcony overlooking Sarasota Bay.

Now the bill for that effort has arrived, and it shows a remarkably high price. According to a report released this month by the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the cost to produce a degree at New College is $494,715 - the highest among public colleges in Florida and more than three times the $150,729 cost at the state’s flagship school, the University of Florida.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/desantis-makeover-left-wing-florida-152445009.html