FL College To Commission Charlie Kirk Statue For Campus After Assassination

SARASOTA, FL — New College of Florida in Sarasota announced Tuesday that it will commission a statue of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot Sept. 10 at a college event in Utah.

The 31-year-old conservative activist was shot to death during a Q&A session at Utah Valley University in Orem.

The statue of Kirk will “honor his legacy and incredible work after his tragic assassination last week,” New College wrote in a social media post. “The statue, privately funded by community leaders, will stand on campus as a commitment by New College to defend and fight for free speech and civil discourse in American life.”

The statue’s exact location on campus will be announced in the coming months, the college said.

The liberal arts honors college, which previously operated under a progressive philosophy, has undergone a conservative transformation in recent years.

New College has been at the center of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attack on gender, diversity and inclusion efforts at public colleges across Florida in recent years.

Related: FL Reacts After Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk Fatally Shot

In early 2023, he appointed six conservative trustees to the New College board. These new board members joined the college with the goal of abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

They also went on to fire the college’s president; Republican leader and former Florida commissioner of education Richard Corcoran took over that role.