Turning the Tide: Conservatives Transform a Progressive College

SARASOTA, Florida – When Jones Hogsed was deciding whether to enroll at New College of Florida two years ago, he was aware of the intense political firestorm that had erupted around the school.

The public liberal-arts institution had long been synonymous with far-left ideologies and identity politics, and its recent upheaval by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis's supporters had sparked widespread debate.

Hogsed, a literature and philosophy major from Orlando, was hesitant due to concerns about the college's newfound conservative orientation – a transformation some hoped would turn it into the 'Hillsdale of the South.'

However, after choosing to attend, Hogsed found that the reality was far from the divisive, politicized environment he had anticipated. 'It's really not a battlefield of political views,' he reflects, highlighting instead the numerous divides that stem from personal interests, academic disciplines, or lifestyle choices.

New College, with its student body of fewer than 1,000, has been at the center of heated op-eds and think pieces, with some viewing its transformation as a blueprint for countering progressive ideology in American education and others warning of a looming crackdown on academia.