GOP congressional aide and wife of state senator hired to lead New College foundation

Sydney Gruters, a longtime aide to two GOP congressmen and the wife of former Florida GOP Chair Joe Gruters, is taking over as executive director of the New College Foundation, giving her an important role in Gov. Ron DeSantis' conservative higher education experiment.

Gruters is the latest Republican insider to get a job at the Sarasota college or a supporting institution, raising more questions about whether political connections are trumping higher education qualifications in hiring.

DeSantis appointed six new board members on Jan. 6 and they quickly fired New College's former president and hired Richard Corcoran, DeSantis' former education commissioner and a close ally of the governor, as interim president at more than double the previous president's salary.

The board also brought on Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who previously served as president of the state Senate, as the school's new general counsel. And Corcoran hired Kevin Hoeft, a former GOP operative who worked with him at the Florida Department of Education, as New College's new admissions director despite Hoeft not having any college admissions experience.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/23/sydney-gruters-aide-to-u-s-rep-greg-steube-hired-to-run-new-college-foundation-florida/70040619007/

There is no question here. Political connections are trumping higher education qualifications in hiring.

DeSantis and the Republicans are determined to wreck Florida's educational system. Can't have smart voters there.