New College on John Oliver “Last Week Tonight” - and the Null Set!
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver aired a long segment last night about the political takeover of New College of Florida.
Seeing the tragedy of the New College political takeover examined so closely and on such a national scale is, for many alums, both yet hard to relive yet intensely cathartic.
Many alums worked behind the scenes to supply information to the HBO show, including members of the NCA board who helped supply source documents, financial analysis, resources, and introductions to students, faculty, and other alum.
And excitingly, the null set featured on the show comes from the Novo Collegian Alliance, specifically from the Null Set merch store: https://www.nullsets.org/shop/null-set
John Oliver during his segment on New College on “Last Week Tonight”, June 7th, 2026
Some key quotes from the video:
"The stated mission of those behind the takeover of New College wasn't just to recapture an institution but to provide a model for red states to then replicate – but if this is that model, it fucking sucks."
And
“But then money has seemingly been no object when it comes to this project. In fact, a state audit last year found that the public cost to produce a degree at New College had swelled in 2024 to nearly $500,000, dwarfing what has been spent per student at any other public university… But at the same time, administrative costs have ballooned with one major expenditure being Corkran's own salary. Because when you include perks and bonuses, he has the highest per student salary of any president in Florida's university system worth more than a million dollars a year.”
And
“And depressingly, it is the exact sort of smash and grab we're seeing in so many places right now, from public health to newspapers to broadcast news. Ideologues capturing something that they hate, claiming that they want to fix it, and then destroying it instead. But seldom has that move been more blatant than watching people talk about great debates and classical education, only to then drive away faculty, refer to books as trash, and assemble a veritable avengers of D-list conservatives, celebrities, creeps, and weirdos, all so that they can lecture the world's single largest baseball team.”
You can watch the whole thing on YouTube!
