The Story of the
Novo Collegian Alliance

HISTORY

The genesis of the Novo Collegian Alliance was in early 2023 when it became apparent that New College of Florida (NCF) was in dire threat of being taken over by political extremists. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed six conservative members to NCF’s board of trustees on January 6th, 2023, including well-known right-wing activists like Charles Rufo. 

Those continuing attacks on individual freedom and academic rigor eventually led a group of activists including alumni, students, faculty, and staff to start working in Slack-based advocacy groups online to challenge the hostile takeover by conservative extremists. 

It became clear that a more organized and long term approach was needed. The members of that incorporation steering committee included Bill Rosenberg, Myranda Pierce, and Brian Cody, who worked on identifying the benefits of incorporation as well as what a non-profit incorporated organization might look like. They teamed up with the “Running the Starship” group of former New College NCAA presidents, which included Colin Boyle, Steve Jacobson, Mike Campbell, and Cindy Hill, who had a similar mission and goals.

The Novo Collegian Alliance was officially founded in March, 2023 and incorporated soon after. 

A cascading series of  decisions by the antagonistic conservative NCF board followed, included eliminating the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) office, canceling the gender studies program, and destroying treasured on-campus murals celebrating diversity. Those types of adversarial actions eventually resulted in one-third of the faculty leaving the school along with dozens of students who transferred to out-of-state institutions such as Hampshire College. 

The remaining students were faced with a commencement ceremony which was drastically altered from the legendary traditions of NCF that had been in place for decades. One of the first big projects the NCA took on was the [NEW] Commencement 2023 event [LINK], an alternative graduation ceremony where students and alumni could come together to celebrate the unique history and culture of New College of Florida.

The NCA was granted 501(c)(3) status in July, 2024 and continues to fight to both preserve the rich traditions of academic freedom that marked New College from its earliest beginnings, as well as strive to assist students, faculty, and staff in their challenges with the usurper administration.