The appointment of right-wing pundits, most from out-of-state, to New College’s Board of Trustees certainly earned some bad reviews. In local and national media, the efforts of Gov. Ron DeSantis appears an act of unapologetic aggression, on “woke” culture if not very value of a liberal arts education altogether. With the appointment of Ryan Anderson, the State University System Board of Governors delivered the Governor an assist and now a majority on the trustee board.

But I must admit that through it all, I remain skeptical of actual long-term consequences. DeSantis can name as many Fox News regulars to the board of a local college as he wants, but he can’t reprogram its students. Many who don’t know all that much about New College, perhaps including DeSantis, fail to understand students set the tone on the campus more than any of Florida’s traditional colleges and universities.

Don’t mistake this as characterizing the new trustees as toothless. Placing discussion of New College President Patricia Okker’s employment on the agenda for Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting, the first time gathering of the body under this new make-up, shows eagerness from the bulls to start breaking the China. New trustee Chris Rufo at a town hall this week voiced willingness to fire administration just for considering cancelling a forum over death threats.

But Okker started less than two years ago. She neither created nor fostered the campus culture those attending New College love and those who fear different ideas hate. She seems fated for unfair scapegoating and mistreatment. That said, even her removal and replacement with a different president won’t change why students chose to go to New College.

That, more likely, was the special academic structure built around individualized curricula. New College students craft academic contracts with sponsors and build their studies around chosen areas of concentration. The school famously doesn’t award traditional grades, yet remains notoriously rigorous.

All this could change, but that would take years. The statute establishing New College as the honors college of the State of Florida requires the school “provide programs of study that allow students to design their educational experiences as much as possible in accordance with their individual interests, values, and abilities.”

To change that requires an act of the Legislature. Considering every state lawmaker representing the region endorsed the Governor’s push to “change the model” for New College, I suppose this too can change. But will students already on a customized academic track be forced off it?

Doubtful. To do that might well prompt lawsuits for such an educational bait-and-switch. Certainly, students would have little incentive to remain in Sarasota if their agency to complete their degree as planned were shirked out mid-academic year. And mind you, if students do leave, it exacerbates existing struggles to reach enrollment goals.

I’ve certainly heard this is really a long game. Trustees can remake the curriculum and await some supposed mass of right-wing teenagers dying to relocate to Sarasota and study in this chaotic transition instead of going to Hillsdale College, Liberty College or established institutions willfully fostering a socially conservative culture. It also counts on people who see New College as a cult of wokeness now believing DeSantis’ appointees will turn it into a rightist utopia before fall term. If no one comes? The recruitment disappointments of recent years become a crisis.

All this also requires driving off faculty as well. It counts on those who love New College today giving up and abandoning it to make way for a social experiment by people most of them likely don’t respect.

I just don’t see it.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ MEDIA. 

Photo Courtesy New College of Florida Facebook page.

It is no secret these days the professional world has become innately competitive, especially in the more lucrative and global industries. Employers are hungry to hire skilled and competent young professionals who are industry-ready from the day they walk across the commencement stage. When I took up my role as Ringling College President, it was clear to me students were graduating straight into a career crisis because they often did not have the opportunity to get any form of professional experience before graduating. Perhaps they had a summer job or internship, but what about those students who did not have that available to them?

As educators, we needed to change the way we looked at higher education and see industry experience and professional partnerships as a non-negotiable component of our student formation and preparation. 

As a pillar of creative and academic excellence, Ringling College of Art and Design offers students a world-class art and design education, and a pre-professional program imbued with the commitment each and every student will have a professional opportunity before they graduate. This is, after all, what employers are looking for and helps to break the perpetual cycle that has haunted college graduates for years: “I can’t get a job because I don’t have experience, but I can’t get experience because I can’t get a job.”

In 2012, Ringling College partnered with The Patterson Foundation with the shared goal to strengthen the creative workforce of tomorrow. The College’s INDEX program — Industry Experience at Ringling College — continues the legacy of this partnership by aggregating the myriad experiential educational opportunities the College long offered. 

The INDEX program has impacted more than 2,300 Ringling students across all majors, involving work experience with more than 200 professional bodies. Many are household names, such as Cirque du Soleil, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Moffitt Cancer Center, the Baltimore Orioles and General Motors. But many other clients have been closer to home: Patriot Plaza, Suncoast Blood Bank, IMG Academy, The Ringling Museum, The Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition and so many others. 

These professional opportunities require a high level of trust between the client and those “contracted” students to complete the work. Ringling College is fortunate to have fostered long standing and trusted relationships with local organizations, nonprofits, clients, donors and friends of the College, like The Patterson Foundation. The endowed charitable foundation is committed to “strengthening the efforts of people, organizations, and communities by focusing on issues that address mutual aspirations, foster wide participation, and encourage learning and sharing,” and has been supporting our community for over 25 years.

Creating the space to nurture community and connection has always been at the heart of Ringling College’s mission. While having the opportunity to connect our students with major projects with large national and multinational corporations is an amazing privilege, the projects that mean the most to me have been connections in our local community. Take the Patriot Plaza INDEX project. Spearheaded by The Patterson Foundation, the $12-million Patriot Plaza at Sarasota’s National Cemetery was donated to the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration. Open to the public, the amphitheater with its world-class art installations, quickly became a favorite destination for educational field trips and tours, and as a place of solace and reflection for military veterans, active duty and their families. 

When the pandemic hit, Patriot Plaza closed; tours were suspended, class trips canceled. The project request came directly from the Foundation, who engaged with INDEX to assemble a student-led film production team. Over the course of the semester, Film students created 11 cinematic and experiential films bringing civics lessons of military service and sacrifice, all conveyed through the space, art, and architecture of Patriot Plaza, to educators and classrooms locally and nationwide. Students in public schools could once again learn the lessons imparted.

By participating in the INDEX program, students are building up their resumes and enhancing their portfolios, therefore increasing employability. It has always been my view creative confidence is forged in the crucible of deadlines, demands and deliverables — the very foundation of INDEX. But in addition, and perhaps more importantly so, they are contributing to meaningful projects that bring immeasurable value to the respective organizations. What a bonus for all of us that many of these organizations are right here in Sarasota. 

Dr. Larry R. Thompson is president of Ringling College of Art and Design. 

Screenshot from Patriot Play Virtual Tour.

With a fresh, new year unfolding, I thought this would be the perfect time to highlight some good news in our region.

The story of last year was Hurricane Ian.  It made us all realize how vulnerable we are to hurricanes and the massive destruction that can follow.

But the good news from that historic storm was how we as a community rallied to help one another in the face of utter destruction.  You and donors from across Florida and the nation provided direct humanitarian relief to families and businesses who were negatively impacted or displaced from their homes. It was also amazing to see hundreds of resilient nonprofit partners rise to the challenge by helping their employees and communities. 

Locally there were heartwarming stories of help. A generous donor provided $25,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties which was matched three times totaling $80,000 to Arcadia-Desoto County Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity South Sarasota County, and Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity. 

In December 2022, the team from The Miami Foundation raised money and then provided Gulf Coast with a grant of $50,000 from their Miami Disaster Relief Fund to support disaster resilience and relief efforts in response to Hurricane Ian. We were thankful to receive this generous and unexpected donation to our Hurricane Ian Response Initiative. This donation was used to help us begin the rebuilding process of the destroyed Boys & Girls Club in North Port. 

Donors and nonprofits from other states have contributed to the response initiative and stepped up to volunteer in the aftermath of the storm, too. Our largest gift thus far was $400,000 from an anonymous donor, while the first $800,000 in gifts was matched. You all as a community inspired one another and in turn, your generosity inspired more donations to help those in need. 

Additionally, the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation generously awarded us with a grant of $25,000 in October 2022 for the Hurricane Ian Disaster Relief Fund. This was matched 1:1 by our Board’s commitment for a total of $50,000. $25,000 of the funding has been provided to First Step of Sarasota to offset the cost of transportation in order to serve clients outside their normal service area. The other portion of the funding was awarded to Premier Mobile Health Services who are operating a free clinic, both a walk-in site and two mobile units across Lee, Charlotte and DeSoto Counties post-Hurricane Ian. 

We were grateful and honored that the Editorial Board of Charlotte Sun Newspapers called us a “lifesaver” in response to Gulf Coast’s $1 million commitment to rebuild the Gene Matthews Boys & Girls Club in North Port after Hurricane Ian. The Editorial Board wrote: “When your organization is struggling. When a disaster strikes. Whenever there is a need, it seems the Gulf Coast Community Foundation is there.” 

One thing I know holds true: Our Board and team will continue to be a part of the long-term recovery from this storm, and we will continue to work collaboratively with others to help in the areas where it is most needed. I am honored to work with these heroes among us, providing pivotal hope to us all.

Mark Pritchett is President and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation.