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New College of Florida is a public liberal arts college located in Sarasota, Florida, United States. It was founded originally as a private institution and is now an autonomous honors college of the State University System of Florida.

History
Originally conceived during the late 1950s, New College was founded in 1960 as a private college by local civic leaders for academically talented students. Financial assistance was provided by the Board of Homeland Missions of the United Church of Christ. George F. Baughman served as the first president from 1961 to 1965.

Envisioned as a new attempt at liberal arts education in the South, the core values of the freedom of inquiry and the responsibility of individual students for their own education were to be implemented through a unique academic program. Open to students of all races, genders, and religious affiliations, New College opened its doors in 1964 to a premier class of 101 students. Faculty members included the historian and philosopher, Arnold J. Toynbee, who was lured out of retirement to join the charter faculty.

By 1972, New College's ranks had swelled to more than 500 students and it had become known for its teaching-focused faculty, its unique courses and curricula, and its fiercely independent and hard-working students. As the 1970s progressed, although New College's academic program continued to mature, inflation threatened to undermine the economic viability of the institution. By 1975, the college was $3.9 million in debt and on the brink of insolvency, and the University of South Florida (USF) expressed interest in buying the land and facilities of the near-bankrupt college to establish a branch campus for the Sarasota and Bradenton area.

In an unusual agreement, the New College Board of Trustees agreed to hand over the school's campus and other assets to the state, at the time valued at $8.5 million, in exchange for the state paying off its debts and agreeing to continue to operate the school as a separate unit within the USF. The agreement stated that New College was to receive the same funding, per-student, as other programs at USF. The former New College Board of Trustees became the New College Foundation, and was required to raise money privately to supplement the state funds to reach the total necessary to run New College, at the time about a third of New College's $2-million-a-year operating budget. Under the agreement, New College was re-christened the "New College of the University of South Florida." USF started a Sarasota branch program that shared the bay front campus, and the schools began an uneasy relationship that would last for the next twenty-five years, with New College and the University of South Florida through its Sarasota branch program sharing the campus.

As part of a major reorganization of Florida's public education system in 2001, New College severed its ties with USF, became the eleventh independent school in the Florida State University System, and adopted its current name, New College of Florida. As part of its establishment as an independent university, the University of South Florida was directed to relocate its facilities away from the New College campus, which it did on August 28, 2006, when it opened a new campus for USF Sarasota-Manatee.

Today, as Florida's independent honors college, New College retains its original distinctive academic program, while enjoying the benefits and accessibility that being a public university affords. Along with a group of other selective and innovative public liberal arts institutions, it is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.

New College is governed by a 12-member Board of Trustees, who serve staggered four-year terms. Of the 12 members, three must be residents of Sarasota County and two must be residents of Manatee County.

More details on significant historical events can be found in the New College of Florida Archives, which serves as the repository of the official and unofficial records of the college, as well as hosting the Architecture Collection and the Special Formats collection.

Campus
New College's 144 acre bay front campus is located in west Sarasota, Florida, approximately fifty miles to the south of Tampa. Situated between Sarasota Bay and the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, the college lies within a public educational, cultural, and historic district that includes the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and the Asolo Repertory Theatre. The primary campus is located on the former Edith and Charles Ringling estate. The campus also includes portions of The Uplands, a residential neighborhood that is bounded by the historic bay front campus to the south, Tamiami Trail to the east, Sarasota Bay to the west, most of which used to be a portion of the estate, and the Seagate property to the north.

The campus's most remarkable structures are its three Florida 1920s boom time, grand-scale residences, the former home of Edith and Charles Ringling (today called College Hall), the former home of Hester Ringling Landcaster Sanford (today called Cook Hall), and the former home of Ellen and Ralph Caples (today called Caples Hall). The well-appointed structures date from the early to mid-1920s, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and are similar in style to the adjacent John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and their residence, Cà d'Zan. Today, these gracious homes are used as classrooms, meeting rooms, and offices and their expansive properties provide sites for the modern developments on the bay front campus.

The campus is also home to several examples of high modernist architecture designed by I. M. Pei. These buildings include a complex of student residences known as "Pei", a cafeteria, and a student center. The other dormitories are Dort, Goldstein, and Palmer B. Five new dormitory buildings have been opened in the 2007–2008 school year, with the most recent opened in October 2007. They currently are referred to as V, W, X, Y, and Z.  For most of the buildings naming donors have not been set in stone completely, but the largest building, "Z" has been named by the Pritzker family. They have donated several times to the college, including a library reading room and the Marine Sciences building; "X" recently was named in honor of Ulla R. Searing.

The Jane Bancroft Cook Library is a joint-use library for both New College students, and the University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus. It is also a resource for Manatee Community College as well as for local educators and residents. The local library collection has several hundred thousand items and access to over 10 million items through the State University Libraries system. The library also has a large collection of electronic resources available through the USF library system.



In 2005, a long range campus master plan was developed through public workshops held by the design teams from the Folsom Group of Sarasota, Moule & Polyzoides of Pasadena, California, Harper Aiken Partners of St. Petersburg, Florida, Biohabitats Inc. of Canton, Georgia, and Hall Planning and Engineering of Tallahassee, Florida. Extensive participation by the students, faculty, administration, residents of the community, and staff members of local governmental agencies was a major feature of the workshops. The husband and wife architectural firm includes Liz Moule and Stefanos Polyzoides, co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism.

The most recent addition to campus is the Academic Center and the adjacent Robert and Beverly Koski Academic Plaza. The Academic Center was awarded Gold LEED certification in the fall of 2011 for a number of sustainable features:
 * Toilets flush using residual rainwater from the roof and A/C condensate.
 * Specially designed tanks built-in under the adjoining Koski Plaza collect storm water.
 * Special CO2 room sensors measure air quality and adjust the A/C system accordingly.
 * High-efficiency windows let in natural light.
 * Pavers and high reflective roofing materials reflect sunshine.
 * More than 85 percent of construction site debris was recycled.

Program features
Four core principles form the base of New College's academic philosophy: (1) each student is responsible in the last analysis for his or her own education, (2) the best education demands a joint search for learning by exciting teachers and able students, (3) students' progress should be based on demonstrated competence and real mastery rather than on the accumulation of credits and grades, (4) students should have, from the outset, opportunities to explore in-depth, areas of interest to them. To the end of putting this philosophy into practice, New College uses a unique academic program that differs substantially from those of most other educational institutions in four key ways: The academic structure described above is implemented through classes and research projects in a diverse array of subjects in the humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences. With a little over 800 students, an average class size of eighteen and a student to faculty ratio of 10 to 1, the academic environment is small and intimate and known for its intellectual intensity.
 * Narrative evaluations: at the completion of each course, students receive an evaluation written by the instructor critiquing their performance and course work, along with a satisfactory, unsatisfactory, or incomplete designation. Letter grades and grade-point-averages are not used at New College.
 * Contract System: at the start of each semester, students negotiate a contract with their faculty adviser, specifying their courses of study and expectations for the semester. At the completion of the term, the academic adviser compares the student's performance with the requirements defined in the contract, and determines whether the student has "passed" the contract, or not. Among other requirements, completing seven contracts is a prerequisite to graduation by the college.
 * Independent Study Projects: the month of January is reserved for independent projects at New College, a period when no traditional courses are held. Independent Study Projects run the gamut from short, in-depth, academic research projects to internships, lab work, and international exchanges. Students are required to complete three independent study projects prior to being graduated.
 * Senior Thesis: each student is required to write an original and lengthy thesis in their discipline, and to defend it before a committee of at least three faculty members. Depending on the area of concentration of each student, a senior thesis may take the form of an original research paper, performing and documenting a scientific or social-scientific experiment or research study, or an original composition. This requirement usually is completed during the final two semesters of a student's fourth year.

Rankings
External rankings at New College are a relatively new phenomenon, because during the school's twenty-five-year affiliation with the University of South Florida and prior to gaining independent accreditation in 2004, New College was ineligible to be included in most ranking surveys.

In 2007, New College tied for first place in the US News and World Report rankings of the twenty-two public liberal arts colleges in the United States, up from third place in 2006. New College was ranked eighty-sixth out of all public and private liberal arts colleges, up two places since 2006.

The 2007 edition of The Princeton Review named New College the best value in public higher education, up from sixth place in 2006. New College was also ranked 2nd in the August 2006 edition of High Times magazine's article "Top 10 Counterculture Colleges." Additionally, the 2006 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges named New College one of the nation's forty-five "Best Buys" in higher education, marking the third time that New College has been included among the guide's elite list of “Best Buys” since 2004. New College of Florida is listed in Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives.

New College also is known for its record number of Fulbright fellows. According to a list compiled in November 2005 by the Chronicle of Higher Education, New College ranked twenty-first out of the thirty top Fulbright producing bachelor's institutions, and ranked third when adjusted for per capita percentage, closely behind Pitzer College and Claremont McKenna. New College has produced thirty-one Fulbright fellows during the past thirteen years, and thirty-five since the school's inception.

In addition to New College's successes within the Fulbright program, New College students and faculty consistently have earned a number of other prestigious accolades, including Rhodes Scholarship, British Marshall Scholarship, Harry S. Truman Scholarships, Morris K. Udall Scholarships, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, Carnegie Junior Fellowships, Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship, Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, and Gates Cambridge Scholarships.

New College consistently is ranked among the top five for "Gay Friendliest Universities" according to the Princeton Review. In 2008, New College was ranked "number two" in the country.

Grad School acceptance
Acceptance rates for grad school are very high. From 2004 to 2008, for example, 87 percent of New College students who applied to a Masters/Ph.D. program were accepted, and 85 percent were accepted into law school. The Wall Street Journal has ranked New College the nation's No. 2 public feeder school for elite law, medical and business schools. Of all science graduates since 1967, roughly one-third have earned an M.D. or Ph.D.

A survey of alumni who graduated between 1996 and 2007 reveals much about their graduate school experiences. Here are some of the results:

• 71% of respondents enrolled in at least one graduate or professional program since graduating.

• 55% reported that they earned at least one degree or professional certificate.

• 38% had earned master's degrees.

• 17% enrolled in medical schools for veterinary medicine, pharmacy or medical degrees. All graduates with medical degrees reported being employed full-time in the medical field.

• 10% were either enrolled or earned degrees in law.

• 67% reported enrolling in doctoral level programs of study. Those who had earned their degrees landed careers as professors, psychologists and researchers.

• Graduate school was a strong choice for alumni who had graduated in these particular Areas of Concentration: Anthropology (70%); Biology (78%); Chemistry (86%); Literature (64%); Philosophy (65%) and Psychology (80%).

• The top graduate or professional schools attended by New College graduates included the Johns Hopkins University the University of Florida, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, American University, Carnegie Mellon University, Yale University, and the New School for Social Research.

Research
A small liberal arts college bringing together specialists from a diverse array of fields, New College emphasizes research involving interdisciplinary collaboration and independent study.

One such example is an innovative art conservation research study conducted by physicists Mariana Sendova, Valentin Zhelyaskov, and recent alumnus Matthew Ramsey at New College, and the chief conservator at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Michelle Scalera, marked the inauguration of formal collaborations between the long-time neighboring institutions on Bay Shore Road. With Dr. Sendova's major scientific research grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish an on-campus High-Resolution Raman Spectrography laboratory for the non-destructive analysis of rare objets d'art, this unprecedented partnership between a world-class art museum and a nationally renowned public liberal arts honors college is a landmark testament to New College's commitment to complementary research.

Another example of collaboration between New College professors hailing from different academic fields involved philosopher of religion Mike Michalson, analytic philosopher Aron Edidin, political scientists Frank Alcock and Eugene Lewis, and cultural historian Lee Daniel Snyder. The five New College professors coauthored an interdisciplinary study entitled "The Lion, the Witch, and the Whorehouse: Male Prostitution and the Works of C.S. Lewis" (2002). The research offered a poststructuralist cultural studies analysis critical of Lewis' Narnia books and Christian apologetics. The New College research team concluded that the representation of gender relations in Lewis' works is misogynistic to the point of male homoerotism and glorifies patriarchal domination, especially over subjects seen by other members of society as less likely to take on submissive roles. Their analysis compares Lewis' work to discourses on gender relations in underground male prostitution rings.

Since 2007, New College has been working with Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute. LRRI and NCF have established a joint bio-informatics partnership to provide faculty and their students research opportunities in the emerging fields of systems biology, bio-informatics and computational biology.

New College Student Alliance
The New College Student Alliance (NCSA) is New College's student government organization. Many decisions relating to student and campus events, academic decisions and policies, the allocation of funds, and recently, the revision of the campus master plan, and the building of new dorm complexes are influenced by the opinions of the student body via the NSCA. "Towne Meetings", held monthly in Palm Court, are the main forum for public debate and are open to all students, faculty, and staff.

The NCSA Constitution states that the purpose of Towne Meetings is "to inform the student body of the actions of the NCSA, to gather opinions and ideas from the students on matters of concern to the College community, to propose and enact informed legislation, and to confirm Presidential appointments to NCSA positions as necessary." Students are welcome to make announcements and address the community with important issues at this forum, and they may call for motions on the issues they present. Typical Towne Meetings consist of 60 to 200 students, with 50 being quorum.

The NCSA constitution also is known for articulating the whimsical nature of the student body. For example, article ten (officially known as article nine and three quarters) states that:

The NCSA cabinet consists of a president or two co-presidents, chief of staff, vice president of student affairs, vice president of finance and relations, vice president of academic affairs, vice president of green affairs, and executive secretary.

Student Politics
New College students are generally known as more political than most, and tend to lean left-liberal in orientation. Over the years students have taken part in a number of local, regional and national protests and demonstrations.

What is likely the largest protest took place at New College on May 2, 1988. Hundreds of students were present and 43 were arrested as bulldozers were brought in to demolish a grove of trees which had been part of the campus culture since the founding of the school. The term “the Grove,” referred to a rather remote stand of about 200 oak, pine and palm trees on the East side of campus where students used to gather from time to time. It provided a buffer between New College and the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (which owns the land New College occupies on the East side of US-41) and offered a sort of “wilderness” area which students would use for various purposes. Numerous parties, bonfires, romantic interludes, Wiccan ceremonies, etc. would occur there.

The Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority, as a part of their expansion, wanted to build a new exit road out of the airport which would go right through the Grove. Students on campus mobilized in defense of their campus. The New College Student Alliance and their legal team tried to work with the New College and USF administration and the Airport authority to reroute the road and avoid destroying the Grove. While initially cooperative, the Airport Authority ultimately ignored the legal challenges students had filed against the construciton and one morning showed up with bull dozers, a logging crew, and dozens of police officers to clear the Grove, arrest the students, and take them to jail.

Hundreds of New College students observed the event, and many took part protesting the demolition of the Grove by occupying the space, getting in front of the machinery, and generally creating a nuisance. While some of the 43 students who were arrested complained of police mistreatment, charges against all the students were dropped by the end of the day.

Eric Shickler, now a political science professor at UC Berkeley, articulated the student perspective. In a letter to Sarasota-Herald, on April 18, 1988, Shickler argued it was wrong “to portray the students’ interest as minor and only a matter of ‘trees.’” He went on to say:  “What is at stake here is the quality of life for the students who use the East Campus of New College, including interference with a $1.2 million capital improvement project, the Student Center Complex, which will be operated and maintained by student funds. “ He continued:  “Also at issue is the airport authority’s heavy-handed refusal to give any consideration to its neighbors, even when presented with reasonable, responsible and feasible alternatives to preserve the public interest.”

The failure of the protest left a permanent mark on the culture of New College. Students had tried so hard to save the Grove and failed. They learned a difficult lesson in the real nature of property relationships. Many students were traumatized by the events, and some did not return to school in the fall. The incident further alienated the USF administration from the New College student body, feeding sentiments which would lead to New College's eventual independence. Other reactions to the Grove Protest were more positive and involved planting hundreds of trees all over campus which are still thriving today.

Alumni
A plurality of alumni live in Florida, but large clusters of alums gravitate to San Francisco, Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Boston.

New College graduates are relatively few (about 4,000), although everyone who has attended the college for more than one semester, regardless of graduation status, is considered a New College alumnus. They are dated by the year they entered New College, not by graduation year. For example, a student entering New College in 1985 would be considered part of the "Class of 1985." (Among these should be counted Mark Weiser, visionary Xerox PARC computer scientist, who conceived of the approach to evolving computer interfaces known as "ubiquitous computing." Weiser attended New College from 1970 through 1974, continuing his education at the University of Michigan (Masters, PhD. )).

Among the most prominent New College graduates are president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York William Dudley; Ambassador Nancy McEldowney, Law Professor Anita L. Allen, named to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues; civic leader and environmental researcher Jono Miller; national Telemundo anchor Jose Diaz-Balart; bestselling author of Getting Things Done David Allen (author); Emmy Award-winning TV writer/producer Carol Flint; former U.S. Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart; CEO of Barnie's Coffee & Tea Jonathan Smiga; professor of law and director for Cumberland School of Law's Center for Biotechnology, Law, and Ethics David M. Smolin; mathematician and Fields Medalist William Thurston; internet personality Merlin Mann; cinematographer Ryan Francis White; and singer-songwriter Jaymay.

Bioacoustics
New College of Florida's picturesque location on Sarasota Bay is home to a wide array of flora and fauna species. The soundscape of the campus is forgotten by the students, faculty and visitors. Instead, the dominant roar of the airplanes taking off from the neighboring Sarasota – Bradenton International Airport, whirring of lawnmowers, and spitting of sprinklers distracts many people. Francisco Lopez, an avant-garde experimental musician and sound artist, strongly believes that our approach to listening should depart from the bioacoustic method of trying to separate, record, and then identify the sounds that we hear and instead proposes that we should listen with a more inclusive ear. The shift from listening to pieces of our soundscape to listening to the environment as a whole is very difficult for many. Therefore, we must start by being aware of the flora and fauna that surround us.

The New College campus can be divided into the east (Pei Campus) and west (Bayfront Campus) campuses. The west campus is home to many varying species of birds such as: Northern Mockingbirds, Blue Jay, Red Shouldered Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red Headed Woodpeckers, Downy woodpeckers, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, White Ibises, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and the Laughing Gull.

Acoustic Landmarks
Sound can be used to help us orient ourselves to our surroundings. When we are in a certain environment we begin to understand and subconsciously catalog the small nuances of what we hear. As these sounds or noises become more familiar we are able to use our collection of sounds to begin to recognize a place. For instance, the sound of crashing waves would indicate that you were at a beach. On a more specific level you might recognize a specific squeak of the floorboards in your home and infer that a specific member of your family or a household pet is moving through your home. In identifying these small pieces of a whole soundscape we are creating landscapes.

New College of Florida is a campus full of many different sounds. Sitting by the Bay and sitting in the Four Winds Cafe provides two very different sound environments. There are many highly frequented locations around campus, among them: the Hamilton Center (affectionately known as Ham), the Four Winds Cafe, the overpass that gets students to and from classes, and the library.