New College of Florida, a public liberal arts school in Sarasota that was overhauled by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2023 to become a conservative institution, announced on September 17, 2025, that it will commission a statue of Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist and founder of Turning Point USA who was assassinated in Utah the previous week. The statue, privately funded by community leaders, will depict Kirk seated at a table with two empty chairs, speaking into a microphone, and is intended to honor his legacy and commitment to free speech and civil discourse on campus.
This move matters because it represents a tangible symbol of the ongoing political transformation of New College of Florida under DeSantis, who replaced most of its trustees with conservative allies to remake the school into a "classical college" akin to Hillsdale College. Kirk, a prominent Trump ally known for promoting far-right positions including the "great replacement" theory, was a polarizing figure whose memorialization on a public campus underscores the deepening politicization of higher education and public art in the United States. The statue also follows President Trump's order to fly flags at half-staff for Kirk, signaling continued national attention on his legacy.