Richard Corcoran Leads DeSantis Overhaul at New College of Florida

of New University of Florida Board of Trustees The Florida Board of Education appointed Richard Corcoran as interim president on Monday. His annual salary of $699,000, more than double his former president’s salary, has caused concern from his trustees and the public.

Corcoran will hold office until September 1, 2024 or until a permanent president is elected., whichever comes first. That means if I keep doing this job until my contract expires, I will earn more than $1 million.

In addition to his salary, Corcoran receives $105,000 a year in retirement benefits, $84,000 a year in housing, and $12,000 a year in car allowance. Corcoran could also receive a bonus of up to 15% of his annual salary for meeting the goals he set for his school.

New College has about 700 students, so Corcoran earns about $1,000 per student. Roughly the same amount that Florida State University President Richard McCullough was earning on his $700,000 base salary when he was hired in his 2021. McCullough’s school has more than 40,000 of his students.

The New College board, recently overhauled by Gov. Ron DeSantis, fired former president Patricia Ocker on January 31 as part of a major overhaul of the school. Okker earned $305,000 a year. She also had a $40,000 annual housing allowance and an $8,000 annual car allowance.

DeSantis targets New College to implement a conservative vision to reshape higher education, with Corcoran taking the lead. Corcoran is an attorney and former Republican Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, who later served as the Governor’s Chief Education Officer.

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Corcoran will make about $400,000 more a year than Okker, student councilor Grace Keenan said. This raises concerns about setting salary expectations too high in smaller schools, she said.

“We’re raising the bar pretty high,” said Keenan.

Executive Director Debra Jenks said she reviewed other contracts with university leaders and was “1,000% satisfied with what is being proposed in this contract.”

Jenks, the DeSantis appointee who took over the chair at the January 31 meeting at which Okker was fired, said Corcoran was the leader the university needed at this time.

Jenks said Corcoran “will lead the conversation about what higher education is today and what to do at New College, and will lead the conversation in the national spotlight.” said. .”

DeSantis’ efforts to rebuild New College have attracted national attention as an experiment in conservative educational reform.

Matthew Spalding, the new director appointed by DeSantis, also praised Corcoran.

“I think he will be a strong leader to launch us into this wonderful new opportunity to rebuild our schools,” Spalding said.

Corcoran’s salary came under heavy public criticism.

Eliana Salzauer called it a “boondoggle”.

“What you’re doing here is throwing taxpayer money at your friends,” Salzauer said.

Spalding proposed Corcoran as interim president at a January 31 meeting at which Okker was fired, describing him as a longtime friend.

Before the Jan. 31 meeting began, conservative news outlets affiliated with DeSantis reported that Corcoran was ready to replace Ocker, confirmed by the governor’s office and coordinated behind the scenes. suggested that

Keenan said Monday that Spalding’s friendship with Corcoran could raise ethical concerns.

Spalding refuted “the implication that friendship is somehow unethical”, saying that Corcoran’s resume “speaks for itself” and compared him to the leader of a football team.

“Quarterbacks are important. I think we need to hire good quarterbacks,” he said.

Corcoran did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Keenan wondered if New College could afford to pay for Corcoran’s contract.

A portion of Corcoran’s contract is paid through the university’s foundation.

“We have consulted with the Foundation’s chief financial officer and have confirmed that there are non-discretionary funds in the Foundation’s account,” Jenks said.

The state legislative committee will meet this week to award an additional $15 million in funding to New College this fiscal year.

Keenan was the only trustee to vote against Corcoran’s contract, but trustee Sarah McKee also expressed concern about the size of his compensation.

McKee said the university’s financial problems are “putting us in the current situation.”

During the public comment portion of the conference, multiple speakers criticized Corcoran.

Democratic state congressman Anna Escamani said Corcoran was the “supreme leader” and accused him of being sullen.

“This is a stupid open glyph,” she said, adding, “Please stop using public money to fund glyphs.”