Ron DeSantis Called 'Fascist' by College Director in Resignation Letter

The director of New College of Florida's applied data science program has offered his resignation in a letter that accused Governor Ron DeSantis of being a "fascist" over his conservative overhaul of the school.

Aaron Hillegass has worked at New College—a public liberal arts institution in Sarasota, Florida—since November 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. His role has been to recruit students and professors, help students find jobs after leaving school, and teach machine learning. On April 8, he offered his resignation, decrying alleged attempts to transform the school into the "Hillsdale of the South."

DeSantis and other Republican politicians have for months been pointing to Hillsdale College, a private conservative Christian institution in Michigan, as a model for what they want education nationwide to look like. With close ties to the GOP, the college doesn't focus on race and ethnicity and has no department for women's and gender studies.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Midland County Republican Party Dave Camp Spring Breakfast on April 6, 2023, in Midland, Michigan. The director of New College of Florida's applied data science program has offered his resignation in a letter that accused Governor DeSantis of being a "fascist" over his conservative overhaul of the school. Chris duMond/Getty Images

"I was hired at New College of Florida (my alma mater) immediately before Governor Desantis replaced the trustees and president in an effort to make it 'The Hillsdale of the South'. I just gave notice," Hillegass tweeted on Saturday.

The professor shared the letter he sent to the college's interim president Richard Corcoran. Hillegass wrote he will be leaving the school when his contract of employment ends in August.

In his letter, Hillegass protested DeSantis' alleged moves to transform New College into a new Hillsdale, stating that the Michigan school is "bad for America" because it "cultivates prejudice" towards minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, and non-Christians.

"When a governor guts the leadership of a state school in an effort to make a facsimile of Hillsdale, that is fascism. Not the shocking Kristallnacht-style fascism, but the banal fascism that always precedes it," the academic wrote.

He added: "The nation is watching this experiment. If it is successful, the academic freedom of every state school under a conservative governor will be in peril. I love New College, but for the good of our nation, I hope the school fails miserably and conspicuously."

He concluded: "If I were more patriotic, I would burn the college's building to the ground. However, the soft spot in my heart for the students and faculty who remains prevents this. Thus, I will (not outraged, just moved by a nagging sense of duty) vote with my feet, and simply walk away."

Hillegass said he won't renew his contract of employment, which he said expires on August 22, 2023, and he will take back the $600,000 he had pledged to the New College Foundation.

In a statement to Newsweek, Hillegass said: "My ancestors include Michael Hillegas, who was the treasurer of the Continental Congress. The ideas of the extreme right, those pushed by Hillsdale College, are tearing this nation apart. Michael Hillegas and his friends who created this nation imagined a pluralistic society where we worked together to find a common ground. To imagine that politics is a football game where only one side wins is anti-American."

He added: "I quit my job at New College of Florida because it had become a tool of the far right, and I believed it would do damage to our nation. [...] Many people in Florida may disagree with my politics, but when enough smart, experienced people like me walk away, red states will have a difficult time creating a modern workforce. Even if you disagree with me, you should want me teaching at the university your grandchildren attend."

Newsweek has contacted New College, and Gov. DeSantis by email for comment.

Update, 4/10/2023 10:35 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a comment from Hillegass.