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By Ian Hodgson, Tampa Bay Times
The push comes as Corcoran directs a dramatic change of course at New College, where Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed six new members to the board of trustees in January. The group arrived with a mandate to overhaul the Sarasota school by offering a “classical education.” They are aided by $15 million in state money to hire new faculty and recruit students who agree with the new direction.
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For the good of the Nation, university leadership must seize this occasion to drive essential reforms—a process some began by adopting positions of institutional neutrality and improving policies related to campus protests. Before the end of 2026, I call on every postsecondary institution to describe to the American public your commitments to rigorous teaching, pathbreaking research, and national service—commitments that make our universities a bedrock institution of the American republic.
Now the administration is back with Compact 2.0, formally titled "A National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards." It includes some rhetorical flourishes intended to make it seem less threatening to teaching, learning and research. But make no mistake: It once again asks colleges and universities to align themselves with a far-right agenda at the expense of students’ education and the public’s well-being.
