Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady joined top UF officials Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education. 

The Hamilton School will move into the university’s 1931 infirmary building following a complete overhaul of the interior. The renovation will give UF’s newest school a permanent home, set to finish in fall 2027 for a first semester in 2028.  

The groundbreaking came on the heels of a new leadership announcement and a $5.5 million donation. 

On Monday, Canady said that he would resign from the court next year and step into the role of director and professor at the Hamilton School.  Canady first joined the court in 2008, and he served in the Florida Legislature previously. State Rep. Jennifer Canady, his wife, was elected to the legislature in 2022 and is set to become speaker of the House. 

The new director comes after the resignation of William Inboden earlier this year. Imboden accepted a position at the University of Texas after two years with UF.  

DeSantis called Canady a home run choice as director and said he embodied what the school aims to accomplish. 

“We don’t want this to be just esoteric debates—just sit here and it’s kind of pie in the sky, nothing but theorizing,” DeSantis said. “What we’re trying to do is build an intellectual foundation in the students so when they then go out, they can be leaders and be great citizens of this republic.” 

DeSantis also praised Florida’s higher education system, ranked first by U.S. News & World Report for the last nine years straight. The governor noted that tuition has remained flat since he took over in Tallahassee and said students can graduate without the millstone of $100,000 in debt to carry.  

DeSantis also celebrated a $5.5 million gift from Ken Griffin, a billionaire hedge fund manager and CEO of Citadel. The donation will be used to finance new scholarships and graduate fellowships. DeSantis said since Griffin relocated his company to Florida in the last five years, he’s already risen to the top of the state’s philanthropic supporters.  

UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini said the Hamilton School already stood as one of the leading centers of classical education in the country. He said the university already demonstrates what it means to challenge ideas and support civil engagement.  

Hosseini referenced the last visit by DeSantis as proof. On one side, he said, DeSantis gave his speech, and on the other side, protestors gathered to oppose the governor.  

“This is the freedom and the idea that shaped our civilization,” Hosseini said.  

At the May 2024 visit, DeSantis addressed the very same issue of protesting. The speech happened during pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the nation, forcing canceled classes, graduation ceremonies and a large law enforcement presence.  

Similar protests at UF had been shut down with nine protesters arrested for violating university rules, but some protestors still showed up and chanted against the governor. 

“You do not have a right to commandeer property, you don’t have a right to go take over parts of the university, you don’t have a right to go after other students based on their ethnicity,” DeSantis said at the time.  

Hosseini said the newly renovated infirmary building would have an open interior and let “illumination” flow through the reading rooms, study areas and debate halls. 

Recent Hamilton School hires also spoke about UF’s success in leading the nation on classical and civil education. 

Allen Guelzo, New York Times bestselling author and former director of Princeton University’s James Madison Program’s Initiative on Politics and Statesmanship, said the Hamilton School will steep itself in traditional Western civilization ideals, from Cicero to King. 

“For here, we will draw on the heritage of the classical tradition of the West to understand the meaning and promise of the citizen,” Guelzo said. 

James Hankins, a 40-year professor of history at Harvard University, will join UF’s Hamilton School full-time next year. He said he recently told high school students visiting Harvard that if they want a brand name with a price to match, go to one of the Ivy League schools. If they want an education, he said, they should go to UF. 

“[The Hamilton School] has successfully challenged already the tired and increasingly self-destructive status quo of American higher education,” Hankins said.