At the beginning of this year, Governor Ron DeSantis made it his mission to reshape New College of Florida, a state liberal arts college, as part of his battle against what he calls "woke" ideology.
DeSantis appointed six conservative members to the college’s Board of Trustees and removed the school’s president to hire Former House Speaker and State Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran.
Since those changes, professors at New College have been let go, and they’re not the only ones.
“Really, the whole semester has been quite difficult,” Erik Wallenberg said.
Wallenberg was a visiting assistant professor of history at New College of Florida, teaching courses on environmental and U.S. history.
About eight weeks ago, while still teaching, he was told by peers that they wanted to renew his contract but it was being held up by the newly elected Interim President Richard Corcoran.
“Last day of classes, I was told by our division chair that he declined to sign my contract,” Wallenberg said.
This is just the latest in a string of moves to develop New College into what Florida’s Education Commissioner calls the next "Hillsdale of the South."
Back in February, the school’s newly appointed Board of Trustees voted to eliminate the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office, and back in April, the college denied the tenure of five professors.
“It obviously sends a chilling effect and I think that’s their intention," Wallenberg said.
For Wallenberg, he’s moved back to Chicago. He said he was never given a reason as to why his contract was not renewed.
When Florida 24 Network asked the university, we were given this statement, which reads:
"Mr. Wallenberg was a visiting professor of history at New College. His contract ended this month."
Another professor that’s been let go elsewhere in the state is Sam Joeckel.
“I finished teaching a class and, on my way back to the office, I was stopped by the provost and the dean of my college and was asked if they could speak with me privately,” he shared.
Joeckel was a professor of the honors program and English at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He said in early February, the dean handed him an envelope saying that his contract renewal would be delayed pending a review of the material in his racial justice unit.
“I have been teaching this racial justice unit for 12 years, and never once in those 12 years did any administrator voice any concern, so that’s why I say this came out of nowhere," Joeckel said.
The university told Joeckel that a parent raised a concern with the university’s president saying he was "indoctrinating students."
A month later, Joeckel was terminated.
“It just seems like from the beginning, they were out to get me,” he said with a sad laugh.
Joeckel has since taken matters into his own hands.
He hired an attorney from the Scott Law team who has already filed a Charge of Discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They hope this leads to a lawsuit.
“The decision here was motivated by race, in the sense that it was motivated by the university’s opinions, feelings, motivated by what they thought a professor should teach on racial justice," Attorney Gabe Roberts said.
After countless letters of support for Joeckel, the American Association of University Professors looked into his case.
The university told the AAUP that Joeckel was "provided an opportunity to address complaints," the university "followed procedures" and that Joeckel was not "summarily dismissed."
The university also stated to AAUP that "as it relates to academic freedom, Dr. Joeckel was not dismissed for teaching a unit on racial justice."
The AAUP asked the university to reverse its decision to fire Joeckel, but PBAU has not made any comment on the matter nor responded to questions asked since Florida 24 Network started reaching out two weeks ago.
Professors across the state told Florida 24 Network they hope that what happened to them does not continue to happen to others.
“My hope is that faculty, students, alumni and staff band together to figure out a way to continue to teach the subjects and topics in the way in which they were hired to teach and what they were hired to teach, regardless of what happens in the state legislature, regardless of what the governor decides, regardless of who they install in these universities and colleges to oversee them,” shared Wallenberg.
He added, “Florida taxpayers, Florida residents, should be upset with what’s happening and demand accountability.”
Recently Richard Corcoran stated New College could be looking at implementing a new core curriculum that would provide "virtue courses" for students. Those courses are aimed at having an individual examine their purpose in life, define a just society and pair that with the latest technologies.
