SARASOTA — On Tuesday, New College of Florida’s Board of Trustees selected Richard Corcoran as the school’s next president. Corcoran’s selection comes after a six-month presidential search process during which the former Florida House Speaker and close DeSantis ally served as interim president of the college.
“We want to extend our gratitude to the presidential search committee, who conducted a robust nationwide search to bring us candidates that would capably guide New College into the future,” said Board of Trustees Chair Debra A. Jenks in a press release announcing the decision. “With the selection of President Corcoran, New College is poised to continue on its path of becoming the best liberal arts institution in the nation. Thank you to all those who participated in this process.”
There was little doubt that Corcoran would be selected, the culmination of a nearly year-long overhaul of the liberal arts college by the governor as part of his "war on woke" campaign strategy. During that time, the board of trustees was packed with conservative activists.
Corcoran was selected for the interim role on Jan. 31, following the newly-appointed board's near-immediate firing of then-President Patricia Okker.
Corcoran will now enter into contract negotiations with the school, which will be considered at the next board of trustees meeting later this month and is expected to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 million.
As interim president, Corcoran is already one of the highest-paid presidents in the state's college system, despite New College being its smallest school. He enjoys a base salary of $699,000 and also receives an annual housing stipend of $84,000, as well as $12,000 for an automobile stipend. His yearly retirement supplement is $104,850 and he is eligible for an additional $104,850 if he meets certain performance targets.
