New College “First in Line” to Sign Higher Ed Compact

New College of Florida wants to be the first university to sign the Trump administration’s compact for higher education, which would require institutions to make a number of changes to their policies and practices in order to receive some potential benefit.

Officials said in a news release Monday that the college is already adhering to many of the provisions in the proposed document and highlighted their efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion and what they called discrimination in admissions. They also noted their commitment to keep costs low for students and to free speech.

More than two years ago, Florida governor Ron DeSantis appointed six conservatives to the board of New College, and those members instituted a number of changes as part of a conservative overhaul, including cutting the gender studies program, removing LGBTQ+ materials from the library and hiring multiple figures from the conservative political sphere in administrative roles.

“New College of Florida is committed to the ideals present within this compact, and we have already been instituting them for the past two and a half years,” NCF president Richard Corcoran said in the release. “We believe a student’s success comes from their character and their merit, not their race, gender, or sexual orientation, and we would be honored to sign the Trump administration’s compact.”

The proposal was initially sent to nine universities for feedback, but President Donald Trump has since used social media to invite any interested college to join the administration’s compact. So far, 11 universities have rejected the plan, which carries steep financial consequences if institutions don’t follow the agreement. Higher ed leaders have said the compact threatens universities’ independence.

The administration is reportedly planning to circulate a new draft of the compact next month but hasn’t said how universities can sign on.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment, and it’s unclear what the next steps are for New College.

“When the president asks, we’ll be first in line,” said Jamie Miller, vice president of communications and chief marketing officer at New College.