Conservative takeover of tiny New College of Florida nets an awfully big salary for its president | Opinion

Florida politics has been a revolving door of elected officials who turn lobbyists, who become some kind of appointed official. This tale, is as old as time.

The hiring of Richard Corcoran, Florida’s House speaker-turned-education commissioner-turned lobbying-firm-honcho — and now interim president of Sarasota’s New College of Florida — smacked of that same old merry-go-round. Nothing new here. But then, there was Corcoran’s jaw-dropping salary to lead the tiny public liberal-arts college — which Gov. DeSantis has made sure is not so liberal anymore.

Corcoran will receive a base salary of $699,000, approved this week by the school’s board of trustees, remade by the governor with the appointment of conservatives. Corcoran also is entitled to a housing stipend of $84,000 — at the higher end of what college presidents usually get for that purpose, according to figures provided at the board meeting — a $12,000 automobile stipend, an annual retirement supplement of $104,850 and a 15% performance-base bonus.

If he stays on the job until his contract runs out on Sept. 1, 2024 — and a permanent president isn’t picked — he will cash in more than $1 million, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. Part of Corcoran’s contract will be paid through the college’s foundation.

Kept DeSantis happy

That’s no pocket change to run a school of only 700 students that is struggling financially and has outdated facilities dating back to the 1960s. Corcoran landed at New College because DeSantis has turned the institution into an example of what happens when higher-education is deemed too liberal. Corcoran, whom DeSantis previously appointed to run the Florida Department of Education, has toed the governor’s partisan line, rallying against perceived enemies like critical race theory.

That’s the kind of work experience that will earn someone a potentially seven-figure job.

Corcoran’s predecessor at New College, who was sent packing by the new trustees, made nearly $400,000 less. Corcoran’s compensation is closer to presidents at Florida’s largest and most prestigious research universities.

His base salary is greater than the $650,000 Florida International University (student population: 56,000) agreed to pay its new president in October. It’s also greater than the $655,000 base salary of the president of the University of South Florida (student population: 50,000) at the time of her hiring last March.

Corcoran will make almost as much as the $700,000 base salary Florida State University (student population: 45,000) offered President Richard McCullough when he was hired in 2021 (he has since gotten a raise, the Tallahassee Democrat reported).

By comparison

Corcoran is making less than the president of the University of Florida, another politician-turned college leader, former Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, whose base salary, approved in November, is $1 million, plus other incentives and bonuses. UF, the state’s flagship university, is a Top 5 school, home to more 60,000 students.

The New College board of trustees justified Corcoran’s compensation with platitudes, such as, “We need to hire a great quarterback to get us forward, to get us to our Super Bowl,” as Matthew Spalding, a new board member appointed by DeSantis said.

Only one trustee voted against the package, though others also raised questions about whether the school can sustain such agreement. As Disney and others who went up against a DeSantis edict learned, there’s very little room for dissent in Florida nowadays.

Corcoran’s appointment has a lot of red flags. If he truly is the quarterback that some say he is, let him prove he is worth the very big bucks.