New College's 'Great Books' online program is more empty hype from political hucksters
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The planning of new degree programs at colleges and universities is a deliberate process.
Among other things, it involves months of:
Discussions among the administration and the faculty.
Attention to the desires and needs of the student population and the community.
Consultations with experts on the selection of course materials.
Working through funding issues.
Recruiting qualified professors.
But none of this is necessary at New College of Florida!
At New College of Florida, major decisions – like the recent one to launch an online classical education program – are made in a flash by supposedly brilliant people who brag about taking “ground-breaking" steps that will lead to "the restoration of a wonderful, storied college.” And, of course, they boast about providing students with "the tools they need to thrive in our society."
More: New College of Florida launches online degree program in collaboration with billionaire
Sadly, here is how the latest example went down.
Joe Ricketts, a deeply conservative billionaire and the founder of TD Ameritrade, donated $1 million to Gov. Ron DeSantis' now-abandoned presidential campaign. During that process, Ricketts told DeSantis he wanted to start an online degree program with a Florida college in partnership with his largely obscure Ricketts Great Books College venture.
Ricketts was steered to New College Board Trustee Christopher Rufo, who is also an operative for conservative causes, and Rufo connected Ricketts with school President Richard Corcoran.
Voila!
Within weeks, the "revolutionary" New College Great Books online degree program was born, and it is now up and running. However, this was all done without:
Consulting with New College's faculty, which passed a resolution opposing the creation of the online degree program.
Reviewing, considering and evaluating other subjects for potential online programs.
Reaching out to numerous institutions that have extensive online education expertise.
Studying various methods and models for teaching the classics.
The fact is there is nothing "ground-breaking" about education programs that are specifically centered around great classical books. They have been in existence since the 1920s, and they have been employed with great success at numerous colleges and universities around the country.
However, "Great Books" education programs represent a niche segment in higher education. They are of serious interest to a very few within a general population of students who, if asked, would likely prefer to take their first dip into online programs with subjects like computer software or other categories of wider interest (maybe even, God forbid, political science or history!).
Unfortunately, it appears that by hastily creating the Great Books online program, the leaders of New College have once again shown they possess doctorate-level skills in the art of huckstering.
Philippe Koenig is a retired lawyer, a graduate of Harvard Law School and a member of Florida Veterans for Common Sense. He resides in Sarasota.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New College's 'Great Books' online degree program was poorly created
