DeSantis to transform New College of Florida into "Hillsdale of the South"

[pondering]

New College Faculty Asked to Drop Tenure Bids

Richard Corcoran, the interim president of New College of Florida, has asked seven faculty members to relinquish their bids for tenure, according to faculty union leaders, The Tampa Bay Times reported. The paper noted that the professors' only remaining hurdle to tenure was approval by the Board of Trustees.

[...]

The seven faculty members had already been approved for tenure by school administrators, including Bradley Thiessen, who briefly served as interim president after the board's ouster of Okker in late January, the newspaper reported. Corcoran formally joined NCF as interim president in February.

Faculty sources told The Tampa Bay Times that Corcoran has no authority over previously approved tenure bids, but the Board of Trustees must ultimately sign off on the appointments.

Tenure has been increasingly under fire in Florida, with DeSantis often calling the concept into question. Corcoran's push to limit tenure at New College comes against the backdrop of proposed higher education reforms in Florida that critics argue will undermine academic freedom and severely harm state institutions.

It's unclear exactly what this means, as if those faculty are in their sixth years, they would normally have to "move up or out," so quite how they could "relinquish their bids" for tenure and promotion needs further explanation. But this looks very, very bad for the job security of current New College faculty.

[Hibush]

The former DEI chief at New College has landed far to the north.

[pondering]

New College Board Denies Tenure for 5 Professors

During a contentious Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday, five professors at the New College of Florida were denied tenure—even though they had already received approvals at every other point in the process.

Those professors are the latest casualties of the culture-war politics that led conservative trustees appointed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis to spearhead a self-declared "hostile takeover" of the college.

The tenure denial prompted the abrupt resignation of Matthew Lepinski, the faculty trustee on the board, who accused fellow members of destabilizing NCF. Lepinski walked out after the vote, announcing suddenly that he was "quitting the college."

[mythbuster]

I just looked up these 5. Two are chemists, one is an oceanographer, one studies Islamic History and one is area studies of music and Hispanic culture. So it sounds to me like the order is not to tenure anyone right now, so that they can open up lines for cherry picked new people with the "correct" school of thought. Really not sure how conservative thought impacts NMR spectra.

[FishProf]

I just looked up these 5. Two are chemists, one is an oceanographer, one studies Islamic History and one is area studies of music and Hispanic culture. So it sounds to me like the order is not to tenure anyone right now, so that they can open up lines for cherry picked new people with the "correct" school of thought. Really not sure how conservative thought impacts NMR spectra.

They want more Red Shift in the spectra?

[marshwiggle]

I just looked up these 5. Two are chemists, one is an oceanographer, one studies Islamic History and one is area studies of music and Hispanic culture. So it sounds to me like the order is not to tenure anyone right now, so that they can open up lines for cherry picked new people with the "correct" school of thought. Really not sure how conservative thought impacts NMR spectra.

Well, is "decolonizing the curriculum" something that is relevant to chemistry?

[apl68]

I just looked up these 5. Two are chemists, one is an oceanographer, one studies Islamic History and one is area studies of music and Hispanic culture. So it sounds to me like the order is not to tenure anyone right now, so that they can open up lines for cherry picked new people with the "correct" school of thought. Really not sure how conservative thought impacts NMR spectra.

They may simply be denying the latest tenure applications on general principal, just to demonstrate that they're the ones in charge now.

Pretty rotten to move the goalposts on people who've presumably been working through the system in good faith and doing what they were told.  They've already had one faculty member announce that he's leaving, so presumably this treatment is having its intended effect.

[pondering]

I just looked up these 5. Two are chemists, one is an oceanographer, one studies Islamic History and one is area studies of music and Hispanic culture. So it sounds to me like the order is not to tenure anyone right now, so that they can open up lines for cherry picked new people with the "correct" school of thought. Really not sure how conservative thought impacts NMR spectra.

They may simply be denying the latest tenure applications on general principal, just to demonstrate that they're the ones in charge now.

Pretty rotten to move the goalposts on people who've presumably been working through the system in good faith and doing what they were told.  They've already had one faculty member announce that he's leaving, so presumably this treatment is having its intended effect.

There is sadly no good option for New College faculty. Leaving makes a statement, but this is really what the DeSantis-appointed trustees want: to get rid of existing people and make room for Hillsdale and Liberty University graduates as quickly as possible. Staying means one of two things: being denied tenure and kicked out if you're on the tenure track, and working in increasingly unbearable conditions if you're tenured (and word is that they will renegotiate the Collective Bargaining Agreement - up for renewal in 2024 - to facilitate getting rid of tenured people too).

[mythbuster]

The CBA is likely to be null and void even sooner than that. New Florida laws are about to be signed that will require 60% membership for the union to be valid. The moment it drops to 59% it's likely to be decertified and eliminated.

[Langue_doc]

From the NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/29/opinion/new-college-florida-republican-desantis.html

OPINION
MICHELLE GOLDBERG
This Is What the Right-Wing Takeover of a Progressive College Looks Like
April 29, 2023 6 MIN READ

[dlehman]

Today's Chronicle story about the faculty rep to the Board - resigning during the Board meeting - was a rare inspiring moment in higher ed.  It helps that he had the luxury of being a computer scientist (so should have no trouble landing another teaching job), but his comments were totally appropriate and devoid of partisanship (hard though that is to achieve).  I find it both rare and inspiring.

[Wahoo Redux]

Today's Chronicle story about the faculty rep to the Board - resigning during the Board meeting - was a rare inspiring moment in higher ed.  It helps that he had the luxury of being a computer scientist (so should have no trouble landing another teaching job), but his comments were totally appropriate and devoid of partisanship (hard though that is to achieve).  I find it both rare and inspiring.

IHE: A Professor at New College of Florida Quits in Dramatic Fashion. Here's Why He Felt He Had to Go.

[ciao_yall]

Today's Chronicle story about the faculty rep to the Board - resigning during the Board meeting - was a rare inspiring moment in higher ed.  It helps that he had the luxury of being a computer scientist (so should have no trouble landing another teaching job), but his comments were totally appropriate and devoid of partisanship (hard though that is to achieve).  I find it both rare and inspiring.

IHE: A Professor at New College of Florida Quits in Dramatic Fashion. Here's Why He Felt He Had to Go.

BPDR but caught this quote:

has promised that the changes are all part of an effort to increase enrollment,

Not sure how chasing out over 77% of the potential student body (50% of Florida K-12 students are women/girls, plus 50%*54% nonwhite men/boys) will increase enrollment? But okay.

[dlehman]

What does BPDR stand for?  I can't even find that through a search.

[onthefringe]

What does BPDR stand for?  I can't even find that through a search.

I'm guessing "behind paywall, didn't read"?