The New College Foundation Board voted Wednesday, July 29, to dissolve the Sarasota college's nearly 50-year-old alumni association, eliminating an independent alumni voice that had become one of the sharpest critics of the school's conservative transformation under Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The vote, reported by Suncoast Searchlight, approved the restructuring over objections from alumni leaders who argued the move violates a 2002 affiliation agreement and strips them of their only voting seat on the Foundation board.

Alumni Association Chairman Chris Van Dyk had warned the Foundation that legal action would follow. "We will continue to play a steadfast role in its future, regardless of what the New College Foundation may do, and their high-handed attempt to direct and control what we do has only brought energy to our effort," Van Dyk told the Suncoast Searchlight ahead of the vote.

What changed

The restructuring replaces the existing alumni association with a new "Alumni Engagement Committee" required to support the college's mission as determined by its Board of Trustees. The alumni chair's voting seat is gone.

The Foundation's governance committee unanimously passed the motion on Tuesday, July 21, before sending it to the full board Wednesday. Van Dyk said he attended that governance committee meeting but was denied briefing materials; he obtained the proposed bylaw amendments afterward from Vice President of Advancement David Rancourt.

The affiliation agreement at the center of the dispute

When the alumni association merged into the Foundation around 2002, it transferred its assets and gained specific protections: the alumni president became a voting Foundation board member, and major disputes were to be resolved through "cooperative and negotiated consensus."

Former Alumni Association Chairman Mike Campbell, now a psychology professor at the University of the West Indies, said the association transferred about $200,000 in assets to the Foundation at that time and later raised more than $250,000 for a pair of endowments. Van Dyk told Florida Politics the transferred amount was approximately $300,000 and said the association could seek its return if the restructuring proceeds.

Alumni opposition was unanimous

The alumni association's eight-member board voted unanimously on Wednesday, July 22, to oppose the proposal, with four former association presidents also supporting the opposition. Rather than authorize immediate legal action, the board required Van Dyk to seek approval from the association's Executive Committee before filing.

Former chairman Stuart Clarry, now an IT director at the University of Florida, warned that even if the association became independent again, the college president would retain authority over its board, including the power to remove members.

The college's rationale

New College Vice President of Communications Jamie Miller said the change reflects a broader mission around alumni participation, student engagement, philanthropy, and community building. Rancourt said the new committee would create ways for alumni to stay involved at every stage of life.

Van Dyk, who has led the association's opposition to changes under President Richard Corcoran, must now seek Executive Committee approval before pursuing legal action on the association's behalf. No timeline for that decision has been announced.