The New College of Florida has fired Kevin Wang, a Chinese language professor, under Florida state law SB 846, which restricts public universities from hiring individuals from designated "countries of concern." Wang, who has sought asylum in the U.S. after facing political repression in China, had been teaching for nearly two years before his dismissal on March 12, 2025. His termination letter stated that his firing was not due to misconduct but was based on the law, which prohibits state universities from working with individuals domiciled in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, or Syria unless approved by the board of governors. Wang expressed disappointment, stating he fled persecution in China only to encounter similar restrictions in Florida.

Wang’s firing comes amid broader efforts by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to reshape state universities by implementing right-wing policies and hiring ideologically aligned faculty. The New College of Florida, traditionally a liberal arts institution, has been at the center of these efforts, recently reinstating a course on “wokeness” and hosting controversial speakers like Steve Sailer, who has been described as a white supremacist. Wang, preparing to leave Florida while continuing his asylum bid, criticized the law’s impact on academic freedom, warning that such policies contradict the U.S.'s democratic values.