Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Monday reportedly issued a stern warning to students following the announcement by New College of Florida that it would commission a statue of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was killed last week.
The governor, who has reshaped New College into a model of higher education rooted in classical learning and civic tradition, responded quickly to the news of the memorial, signaling that students should conduct themselves with respect as the campus prepares to honor Kirk’s life and legacy.
Kirk, a vocal champion of free speech and a prominent ally of President Donald J. Trump, was gunned down at an open-air rally in Utah.
His death, which has been widely condemned across the political spectrum, has already spurred national debates over the dangers of political violence and the climate of hostility toward conservative voices.
By moving to memorialize Kirk, New College — once known as a progressive outpost in Sarasota but now reoriented under DeSantis’s appointees — underscored its embrace of the principles Kirk championed, including religious liberty, constitutional values and civic courage.
The decision to commission a statue, administrators said, was meant not only to honor Kirk but also to send a clear signal that the campus would not be swayed by threats or violence.
Governor DeSantis, who has often criticized what he calls the “intolerance” of the modern academic left, used the announcement to remind students of their responsibilities. His warning made clear that protests or disruptions targeting the memorial would not be tolerated, and that Florida institutions must stand firm against efforts to erase or vilify conservative figures.
The statue’s commissioning also reflects the broader transformation of New College since DeSantis began appointing conservative trustees in 2023.
The school has overhauled its curriculum, rooted out divisive diversity programs and restored its mission as a small liberal arts institution dedicated to academic rigor and civic virtue. A statue of Kirk, administrators argue, is consistent with that renewed mission.
The decision comes at a moment when memorials themselves have become political flashpoints, with progressives often demanding the removal of statues of historical figures and conservatives urging the preservation of American heritage. In honoring Kirk, New College has effectively reversed that script — erecting a monument to a young conservative leader whose influence was national and whose assassination shocked his supporters.
For DeSantis, the development also offers a chance to frame Florida as a state unwilling to bend to ideological intimidation. The governor’s warning to students was both practical and symbolic: a call to maintain order and a rebuke of the campus activism that in recent years has turned statues and memorials into battlefields.
Though details about the statue’s location, design and unveiling have not yet been announced, supporters see it as a lasting tribute.
For conservatives across the country, Kirk’s likeness on a Florida campus will stand not only as a memorial but also as a declaration — that the ideas he advanced will not be silenced, even in the wake of violence meant to extinguish them.
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