NCA Recognizes Malena Carrasco and Amy Reid for Decades of Service to the New College Community

By Ben Brown

By a vote of its Board taken Nov. 12, 2025, Novo Collegian Alliance, Inc., a private nonprofit organization, has formally recognized Professors Malena Carrasco and Amy Reid for a combined 77 years of service as New College faculty.  As an active, proudly independent organization of New College alumni and friends, we owe a deep debt of gratitude to these amazing teachers and counsellors, who contributed to the lives of generations of students.  We will be forwarding parchment-printed records of our acknowledgment to Professors Carrasco and Reid.  

We are disturbed that New College President Richard Corcoran, acting alone, arbitrarily denied the proposal to grant Professor Reid emerita status that was submitted to his office by New College’s Provost, David Rohrbacher.  Both Professors Carrasco and Reid were amply deserving of emerita status, earned over decades of public service working with Florida students, dedicating their capabilities as learned scholars to the public good.  At New College, emeritus status is ordinarily granted after careers of such length and merit.  But while granting emerita status to Professor Carrasco, Corcoran denied it to Professor Reid on the grounds that, in Board of Trustees proceedings, “Professor Reid was one of the leading voices of hyperbolic alarmism and needless obstruction.”  That President Corcoran disagreed with Professor Reid’s positions taken on the Board of Trustees is no reason to deny her emerita status.  It denies her a benefit solely on the basis of speech that President Corcoran doesn’t like.  In fact, it is a rejection of the ‘civil discourse’ that President Corcoran so often claims to admire, as well as a violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution of the State of Florida.

Professor Reid’s New College career spanned almost 30 years.  As Provost Rohrbacher wrote in his message recommending conferment of emerita status, “Professor Reid was an outstanding teacher and scholar, and an innovator in curricular development.”  As an organization of mostly former New College students, we agree, from firsthand experience.  It is our privilege to honor Professor Reid and show her our solidarity.    

We append e-mails obtained by Novo Collegian Alliance which show the correspondence between Provost Rohrbacher and President Corcoran that resulted in the denial of emerita status to Professor Reid.

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---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Richard Corcoran <rcorcoran@ncf.edu>

Date: Tue, Oct 7, 2025 at 12:37 PM

Subject: Re: Emeritus Proposal, Carrasco and Reid

To: David Rohrbacher <rohrbacher@ncf.edu>, Ryan Buyssens <rbuyssens@ncf.edu>

Cc: Christie FitzPatrick <cfitzpatrick@ncf.edu>, David Brickhouse <dbrickhouse@ncf.edu>, Erin Fisher <erfisher@ncf.edu>

Ryan,

I concur with the judgement of the Division of Humanities and the Provost, and am happy to recognize Professor Carrasco's  years of service to New College and its students with the title Professor Emerita.

Although I recognize Professor Reid's contributions to New College in teaching and scholarship, I cannot concur with the Division and Provost that she be honored with the title of emeritus. When I became president with a mandate for change from the Board of Trustees, there was need for reasoned and respectful exchange between the faculty and administration. Regrettably, Professor Reid was one of the leading voices of hyperbolic alarmism and needless obstruction. In her letter of resignation, Professor Reid wrote that "the New College where I once taught no longer exists." She need not be burdened by further association with it.

All my best,

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 6, 2025, at 4:23 PM, David Rohrbacher <rohrbacher@ncf.edu> wrote:

Dear President Corcoran, 

Professor Malena Carrasco and Professor Amy Reid have been proposed for emeritus status by the Division of Humanities. I have attached the rationales provided by the Division.

The Division voted 24-1 in favor of emeritus status for Professor Carrasco, and I support the decision of the Division. Professor Carrasco has been an outstanding teacher, scholar, and administrator at New College for almost fifty years

The Division voted 21-4 in favor of emeritus status for Professor Reid, and I again support the decision of the Division. Professor Reid was an outstanding teacher and scholar, and an innovator in curricular development. Her colleagues recognized her by her election as Chair of the Faculty.

Please send your decision to Professor Ryan Buyssens, Chair of Humanities, copying me. 

David