New College of Florida president Richard Corcoran said Thursday he is "super excited" about the prospect of leading The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
Florida State University has managed the Sarasota museum for 25 years. It’s one of the largest university art museums in the nation.
FSU has not commented on the proposed change, which Gov. Ron DeSantis mentioned in a bill accompanying his budget for the next fiscal year. Lawmakers still have to approve it. The legislative session begins in March.
“Florida State University shall work with the New College of Florida in transferring all duties, responsibilities and state financial obligations for the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, including but not limited to, the art museum, the Ca’ d’Zan and the Ringling Museum of the Circus, to the New College of Florida,” the bill reads.
New College and The Ringling are essentially next-door neighbors, less than a mile apart on Bay Shore Road.
"Obviously, (we) would be super excited about it. We think it's an amazing partnership in the making. You know, we're a liberal arts school. They're just a beautiful art museum," Corcoran said at a board of trustees meeting Thursday.
Corcoran has led New College since 2023, when DeSantis appointed six new members to school's board of directors and began to overhaul the honors college in a conservative direction.
Corcoran, a former speaker of the Florida House, had previously applied to be president of Florida State in 2021, but was unsuccessful.
He did not say what might change if the deal goes ahead, but New College has been trying to expand.
"We'd be side by side. I think we could just create greater synergies and greater resources working together," Corcoran said.
Also at Thursday's meeting, trustees voted to approve a $200,000 performance bonus for Corcoran, marking the second year in a row he has received that perk. He earns a base package of about $700,000 a year, about twice what his predecessor at New College earned.
New College is the smallest school in the State University System, with just over 800 students enrolled.
