New College of Florida: Trustee Claims Professor Non-renewed for ‘Left-Wing’ Teaching and for Criticizing Administrators and the Governor

On June 6, 2023, New College of Florida Trustee Christopher Rufo tweeted that visiting history professor Erik Wallenberg had been non-renewed because of his teaching, views, and past criticism of university leadership. On June 8, FIRE wrote New College explaining that as a public institution, it cannot take adverse action against faculty for their protected in-class or extramural expression. We also asked the college to publicly reaffirm its commitment to free expression and academic freedom, as the suggestion that faculty may be punished for their speech will chill all faculty members’ future expression.