Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration appointed pro-life academic Ryan T. Anderson, PhD. to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees this week in what appears to be an effort to diversify opinions in educational institutions dominated by leftist pro-abortion thought.
The News Service of Florida reports the Florida Board of Governors voted in favor of Anderson’s appointment Wednesday to the public liberal arts college in Sarasota. The state Senate also must confirm his appointment.
Anderson is a pro-life advocate, author, researcher and president of the Ethics & Public Policy Center. He also serves as a John Paul II teaching fellow at the University of Dallas. he’s written numerous pro-life articles for LifeNews, including one calling for the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v. Wade.
“I am deeply committed to helping the College fulfill its mission to be Florida’s honors college and one of our nation’s best public liberal arts institutions,” Anderson said in a statement. “I will work to ensure that academic excellence in pursuit of the truth is the College’s top priority, while insisting that it honor academic freedom and integrity.”
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Alan Levine, a member of DeSantis’s Board of Governors, spoke well of Anderson after meeting with him.
“I’ve had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Anderson,” Levine told the News Service of Florida. “I find him to be a compelling figure, somebody who is measured and very respectful of our governance process and very eager to serve.”
Anderson expressed gratitude to the board for their confidence in him and promised to serve the “students and the citizens of Florida and set an example for the rest of the nation.”
DeSantis has been working to protect children in Florida through education reform as well as laws that protect unborn babies from abortion. In 2022, he signed a law to ban abortions after 15 weeks in Florida, one that pro-life advocates say will save thousands of babies’ lives every year.
Widely considered a potential Republican presidential candidate, he recently promised to support even stronger protections for babies in the womb.
