University of Florida hires 20 classical education faculty

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday said his state was focusing on developing its educational offerings in Western civilization and American political philosophy. The University of Florida’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education on Monday announced the hiring of 20 new faculty members in a spree to build out the school. Many of them are historians or political theorists. Others have expertise in economics, international relations, literature, or philosophy.

One of the new hires is Harvard professor James Hankins, who specializes in Renaissance intellectual history. Hankins will join the University of Florida as a visiting scholar until 2026, when he’ll officially become a faculty member, according to the university’s website. Hankins on Monday called the university a new leader in the study of Western and American civilization and said elite institutions had abandoned that field.

Hankins is also on the academic advisory board for the Classic Learning Test, a classical college entrance exam. Florida became the first state to approve that test as an alternative to the SAT or ACT in 2023.

How big is the Hamilton School? It has 53 faculty members, including the new hires, and offers two majors. About 1,500 students are expected to enroll there by the beginning of the fall semester, according to the University of Florida. About 43,000 undergraduate students attended the university as a whole in 2023, according to the university’s most recent enrollment numbers.

Dig deeper: Read Grace Snell’s feature story on generative AI’s increasing challenges to traditional methods of education.