The Difficult Work of Academic Reform

New College of Florida enters its second year under new leadership.

A small public university on the coast of Sarasota, New College of Florida spent decades languishing as a left-wing activist haven. Its enrollment, test scores, and other measures steadily fell. Legislators in Tallahassee considered closing it.

Then suddenly, the school was in the news. In January 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed a slate of new trus…