New College of Florida graduation: Boos for Joe Ricketts, cheers for student president

New College of Florida graduated its senior class Friday at a ceremony with scattered boos and jeers directed at the evening’s commencement speaker: conservative billionaire Joe Ricketts.

In a technical difficulty-filled speech cut off early by New College President Richard Corcoran, Ricketts talked about how he earned his wealth and warned the graduates about the challenges of artificial intelligence. As the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade spoke, the student section would erupt in boos, chant “free Palestine” and expletives. Students also wore stoles bearing the flag of Palestine, following a national trend of higher education protests against the war in Gaza.

“They don’t care,” Ricketts said to Corcoran on stage after stopping his speech. “I hate it, but they really don’t care what I have to say.”

Ricketts previously launched an online degree program at New College in January, and emails from Ricketts containing racist and Islamophobic sentiments leaked in 2019, which drew criticism and backlash.

Following Ricketts' speech, former student body president Grace Keenan spoke. She was met with a standing ovation for her remarks, ending with an homage to New College’s past mascot.

“Long live the null set,” Keenan said referencing the college's previous mascot, a set of brackets.

Keenan commented on her time sitting on the board of trustees and pointed to her thesis on Cicero watching the fall of the Roman Empire.

"Sometimes it does feel like things are crumbling around us," she said. "We the students continue to be lectured on our lack of virtue, but I found that it's not the young people that have been difficult to work with."

After Keenan, Vice Provost Brad Thiessen began the conferring of degrees as Corcoran walked Ricketts off the stage. The college recognized about 100, with most in the traditional cap and gown and others in costume — a tradition carried over from previous years. Notable costumes included Spider-Man and a maid.

In the college's second graduation ceremony since Gov. Ron DeSantis flipped the leadership toward a more conservative direction, even more students who remember a life before President Corcoran now depart the school. The college is expected to bring in almost 300 new students for the fall semester, meaning the students recruited under Corcoran now likely far outnumber those who predate him.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Joe Ricketts booed during new College of Florida commencement speech