Scott W. Atlas, MD is the Robert Wesson Senior Fellow in health policy at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and Co‐Founder & Co‐Director of the Global Liberty Institute, among other notable affiliations. The Global Liberty Institute is an independent and non-partisan institute for promoting individual and economic freedom and the free exchange of ideas throughout the world.
Dr. Atlas investigates the impact of government and the private sector on access, quality, and pricing in health care, global trends in health care innovation, and key economic and civil liberty issues related to health policy. He is a frequent policy advisor to policymakers and government officials in the United States and in other countries. He has served as Senior Advisor for Health Care to numerous candidates for President and members of the U.S. Congress, and advised key federal health agencies. From August through November, 2020, he served as Special Advisor to the President and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Before his policy appointment at Hoover Institution, he was Professor and Chief of Neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center for 14 years and in academic medicine for 25 years. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 200 policy pieces, and numerous books. He has received many awards in recognition of his leadership in policy and medicine, including the 2022 Encounter Prize for Advancing American Ideals; the 2021 Freedom Leadership Award, Hillsdale College’s highest honor; and the 2011 Alumni Achievement Award, the highest career achievement honor for a distinguished alumnus from the University of Illinois in Urbana‐Champaign. Dr. Atlas received his MD degree from the University of Chicago School of Medicine.,
“Dr. Atlas’ perspective and resume are impressive; he is a champion and fighter for free speech and a renowned national leader,” said Interim President Corcoran. “We are happy to welcome him here at New College, where we place a high value on personal freedom and individual autonomy, as Dr. Atlas does.”
“Dr. Atlas is a noted commencement speaker and comes at such a pivotal time for New College,” continued Interim President Corcoran. “But that is not only what led me to asking him to speak to our graduates. Dr. Atlas is a first-generation college student in his family, he knows the value of hard work and what a path to higher education can lead to in one’s future. He has spoken about being bold and rising up over challenges, even amongst criticism. That spoke to me as we seek to stand up for the future of New College, our students and faculty – and now our graduates. I am proud and honored that he has accepted our invitation to speak.”
New College Campus Community,
I write to you today, one week after I started here at New College. I have had the honor of getting to know our campus, our trustees and many of our faculty, staff and students and as we start this journey together, I look forward to meeting all of you and having the opportunity to hear what you love about New College and what you hope to see in the future.
As I send this message to you all today, I am in Tallahassee for the start of the legislative session. I am here on the heels of the recently announced $15 million commitment to the future of New College and to talk to lawmakers about what we envision for the new path of New College. In the past, New College’s existence has always been threatened and on shaky ground, but now, with the start of the session, I am confident that our future is secure, and growth and success are inevitable.
I know many of you have questions about what that future will be, and I understand that with change comes uncertainty, and uncertainty can be unsettling. But I want to assure you that we will be thoughtful in considering potential changes and there will be opportunities for the voices of students, faculty, and staff to be heard. First and foremost, I want you all to know that we have no plans to fire tenured faculty and current students should be confident that they will continue to be able to pursue their goals in the traditional academic system of the college. We will seek to make New College better through building on the best elements of the current system while adding more opportunities and possibilities for current and future students.
In the coming weeks, we will be performing a full evaluation of all aspects of the education system at New College. All voices – faculty, students, and staff – will certainly be heard and I welcome your engagement, thoughtful debate, and active participation in determining our future path. I want New College to serve as a beacon of free speech, free inquiry, and free debate in Florida and beyond.
Together, we will seek to develop programs that provide an intellectual grounding that is increasingly rare in higher education. We will also be inviting speakers and supporting conferences at the college that will introduce new voices into the discussion. It is my goal that we pursue a policy of addition rather than subtraction. We will seek to add more dorms, a new student center, and new facilities to make New College a better place to live, study, and grow. We will add new students, especially those who feel unsatisfied by the current options in higher education in Florida and across the country. We will also add new faculty, particularly faculty who are trained in and enthusiastic about an excellent liberal arts education.
I understand that many of you have read news articles and other publications that have attempted to frame a narrative about what New College is now, and what it should be in the future. I ask that you read the article in our local paper where I was given the opportunity to share my vision, in my own words and without editorial context or framing. In the coming weeks and months, I hope to discuss my vision more with each of you as we chart a new path together.
Thank you for your time, your openness, and your willingness to listen. I pledge to do the same every day as president of New College. I am committed to your future, your success, and the success of New College for years to come.
Richard Corcoran
Interim President