Grant Cornwell

President, Rollins College, Winter Park

Founded in 1885 in the Orlando area, Rollins is a distinguished liberal arts college and consistently ranks as a top university in the South. It serves about 3,200 students and employs 715 faculty and staff. Cornwell has been president since 2015 and has announced that he’ll leave office in June 2025. A strategic priority during his tenure, he says, was “building a strong and inclusive campus culture where everyone can thrive … I recognize that our excellence is a direct function of our diversity. The dialogue constituting the very means of liberal education must be infused with diverse voices, perspectives, lived experiences, and points of view.”

IF I WERE GOVERNOR: I would de-escalate the anti-woke campaign and steer clear from extremist ideologies on the left and the right. Good business and healthy civic life happens in a social norm of moderation, collaboration, and give and take, where toxic hostility is replaced by decency and mutual respect.

READING: The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels, by Jon Meacham

INSPIRING FLORIDIAN: Alan Ginsburg for his relentless efforts to do good works, help people who need it, and advance peace and justice in Florida and the world.

MOTIVATIONAL MANTRA: Persistence overcomes resistance. Change always encounters resistance and is achieved only with patience and relentless persistence.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Trust in leadership is a function of transparency and communication. Honesty is not enough: scrupulous integrity has to be accompanied by information transparency and exhaustive multimodal communication strategies.