New College of Florida announced Tuesday it will commission a bronze statue of the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, saying the tribute will serve as a reminder of the school's commitment to protecting the First Amendment and fostering civil discourse.
College officials released a sample rendering showing a seated Kirk at a four-legged table with two open chairs, holding a microphone in a scene organizers said is intended to evoke the campus conversations for which Kirk was known. The college said the statue will be privately funded by community leaders and that the location will be announced in the coming months, with an unveiling expected by the end of the year.
William Witt, New College's chief social media officer, said the school hopes the memorial will "be a reminder of what America is all about," and of the value of "having conversations that might be difficult, but that are worth it." Witt said the college has received a "tremendous outpouring" of offers to donate and that organizers want to move quickly to complete the project.
The college has not released detailed plans about the statue's design beyond the sample rendering, nor has it announced security arrangements. Witt said the school has warned that anyone who "takes action against the memorial" will face punishment and that action will be taken against those people.
Kirk, a husband and father of two, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The shooting drew national attention because Kirk was a prominent conservative activist and a frequent campus speaker who founded Turning Point USA, an organization that organizes student chapters and events advocating conservative ideas.
Kirk frequently framed his campus appearances as efforts to defend free speech and to expose students to views with which they might disagree. Less than three months before his killing, he responded to a question about how he wanted to be remembered by urging young people to fight for their ideas and avoid silencing opponents. He had criticized what he described as a decline in tolerance for opposing ideas on campuses and a move toward "obscene bully tactics from the left."
New College officials said a majority of students have expressed pride in the decision to commission the statue, though Witt acknowledged that the choice will not please everyone. Student political groups including the Florida College Democrats and New College Democrats did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the college said.
The announcement comes amid a broader national conversation about campus speech, political violence and the role of public memorials. New College said it intends the sculpture to foster civil discourse by inviting viewers to imagine an open exchange of ideas, represented in the rendering by the two empty chairs beside Kirk.
College officials gave no timeline for selecting a sculptor or finalizing the statue's exact dimensions and placement. They said funding will come from private community donors and that more information will be released as plans progress.
The college's decision to memorialize Kirk follows weeks of national reaction to his death, which federal and local authorities are investigating. New College said the memorial is meant to honor Kirk's advocacy for free speech and to provide a space for reflection on the values the school said it seeks to uphold.