SARASOTA, Fla. — A proposal in Tallahassee could change the future of higher education in Sarasota.
Lawmakers are considering transferring University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee to New College of Florida — a plan that supporters say would strengthen New College, while critics warn it could hurt students at USF.
This isn’t the first time there have been talks of transferring USF Sarasota-Manatee to New College of Florida. Spectrum News spoke with the Vice President of USF’s Faculty Senate, who said they fought a similar effort last year, and they weren’t expecting it to come back up.
“This would be a forcible eviction of our faculty, staff, and students by this summer,” said Scott Perry.
But the manager of media relations at USF Sarasota-Manatee, Ryan Hughes, says it won’t impact current students. “Students currently enrolled would be able to continue taking classes and finish their program at the Sarasota-Manatee campus if this legislation is passed,” Hughes said in a statement. “We would not admit or enroll any new students if the legislation is approved.”
Perry’s feelings are clear about the proposed transfer of USF Sarasota-Manatee to New College of Florida. He has taught there for 19 years and is the vice president of USF’s Faculty Senate. He said that the campus means a lot to its students and community.
“We have a very strong, active community group of supporters who really want these programs. We have 40 undergraduate programs. We’re an AAU accredited university,” said Perry.
If passed, USF Sarasota-Manatee properties and facilities would be transferred to New College of Florida by July 1. At a December Board of Trustees meeting, Richard Corcoran, president of New College, called Gov. Ron DeSantis’ transfer plan “significant,” saying it solves a lot of problems.
“That’s going to go through the legislative process. His budget is a recommendation, but I’ll say he’s been a tremendous advocate for New College and what’s going on here, so we feel pretty good about that,” said Corcoran.
At a press conference in Pinellas County on Jan. 14, DeSantis said leadership agreed the transfer would be good for New College and that USF’s momentum is in Tampa Bay.
“We’ve been supportive of it,” DeSantis said. “I think what they’ve been able to accomplish in such a short period of time — think about it — you were in the class and now they’re saying something different. It’s almost like you go to the Naval Academy and then they shift to Coast Guard. Well, that’s not what you signed up for,” said DeSantis.
The proposal will now move through the legislative process, where lawmakers would have to approve the transfer.
Perry says the Student Government Associations at all three USF campuses put together a resolution saying they oppose the transfer.
EDITOR’S NOTE (Jan. 27, 2026): A previous version of this story said current students would have to transfer campuses. USF Sarasota-Manatee said that is incorrect. The article has been edited to include a statement from the media relations team at USF clarifying the impact on current students. The video has been removed.
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