In an unprecedented move, New College of Florida Interim President Richard Corcoran has asked seven faculty members to withdraw their applications for tenure ahead of the school’s April board of trustees meeting, according to Steven Shipman, president of the school’s faculty union.
The seven had already been approved by all levels of school administrators, including Corcoran’s predecessor Bradley Thiessen, who was present at a March 15 meeting where the request was made, Shipman told the Tampa Bay Times.
The push comes as Corcoran directs a dramatic change of course at New College, where Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed six conservative members to the board of trustees in January. The group arrived with a mandate to overhaul the Sarasota school, aided by $15 million in state money to hire new faculty and recruit students who agree with the new direction.
