New College requests funding for multipurpose facility that could open in 2021

President Don O’Shea presented New College’s legislative budget request to the Florida State University System Board of Governors during the BOG’s two-day meeting on campus Sept. 12-13.
He asked for $1.6 million for the final year of the College’s growth funding plan, which would bring the state’s financial commitment to the plan to a three-year total of $10 million.
In addition, O’Shea requested $47 million for the planning and construction of a multipurpose facility on campus. The building’s targeted opening date of Fall 2021 aligns with the college’s plans to rapidly increase student enrollment, with the most aggressive growth occurring in the 2021-22 academic year.
While New College is ranked fifth among public liberal arts college by U.S. News & World Report, O’Shea said that the college’s long-term goal is to be recognized among the nation’s top 20 liberal arts colleges, public or private. In response to a BOG member’s question about the growth plan, he explained that New College is the smallest liberal arts college ranked in the top 100 and that the plan to increase faculty size to 120 professors and enrollment to 1,200 students is vital to sustained success.
New College Board of Trustees Chair Felice Schulaner also weighed in on the importance of the growth plan and its role in helping the institution remain true to its founding principles of intellectual rigor, innovative academic programming, collaborative learning and individualized education.