USF’s Board of Trustees Chair Says New College Takeover Threatens Ability ‘to Protect Our People'

Potential New College takeover of USF Sarasota-Manatee campus looms

A pair of powerful political forces in Florida — the governor’s office and the House speaker — are attempting to orchestrate a significant shift in the Sarasota-Manatee higher education landscape.Yet, like many things involving government and longstanding institutions, the situation is tenuous and complicated. At stake: whether University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, which has had a presence in the area since 1975 and a campus near the Sar…

New College of Florida’s expansion bid revives fears in Sarasota of renewed push to seize Ringling Museum

Real journalists wrote and edited this (not AI)—independent, community-driven journalism survives because you back it. Donate to sustain Prism’s mission and the humans behind it. Florida officials are again moving to expand the reach of the New College of Florida, a public liberal arts school backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and reshaped by political allies in recent years. The moves are prompting fresh alarm in Sarasota, Florida, where the college i…

USF’s Board of Trustees chair says New College takeover threatens ability ‘to protect our people'

State lawmakers voted on Monday to officially file a bill to move forward with an idea for New College to take control of USF Sarasota-Manatee.

House Bill Would Transfer Control of USF Sarasota-Manatee to New College of Florida

A bill filed on Monday in the Florida house would shift control of the University of South Florida (USF) Sarasota-Manatee campus to the New College of Florida and give individual universities more authority over how much they charge out-of-state students. The proposal, HB 5601, is tied to the House’s proposed 2026–2027 state budget and would formally transfer the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus — including its buildings, land and associated debt — t…

House contemplates shifting USF land to New College, following DeSantis’ lead

Students converse near an entrance to New College of Florida in Sarasota. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix)This year’s budget negotiations will entail negotiating the future of University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus. The Florida House Higher Education Budget Subcommittee Monday approved transferring the campus to New College of Florida on a party line vote, in line with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ budget proposal.  However, the Se…

Proposal to transfer USF Sarasota-Manatee to New College moves forward

A proposal advanced through a state house committee Monday that would, among other things, transfer the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee to New College.  But the bill raised concerns from some Democrats.  PCB HEB 26-01 would transfer facilities and properties from the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus to New College.  But it would also mean that the school’s debt would be taken over by New College. The bill’s presenter, Republican Represen…