New College of Florida Celebrates Student Scholars at Daylong Event May 24 and Commencement May 25
May 15, 2012 – As the 2011-2012 academic year draws to a close, New College of Florida will celebrate the achievements of its students at an expanded, daylong event showcasing student academic work on Thursday, May 24, followed by the College’s 46th Annual Commencement on Friday, May 25, at 7 pm on the campus bayfront behind College Hall.
On May 24, the newly-named “[New Scholars] New College” event will feature student research and thesis work completed by New College students from all class levels during the past 12 months. An expansion of the college’s annual Thesis Showcase, the revamped event is free and open to the public and runs from 10 am to 4 pm in the Harry Sudakoff Conference Center, 5845 Gen. Dougher Place on the College’s Pei (East) Campus.
The speaker for this year’s commencement ceremony on May 25 is President Gordon E. “Mike” Michalson, who will retire as New College’s president on July 1, 2012. Approximately 190 students are expected to receive Bachelor of Arts degrees from the state’s honors college for the liberal arts and sciences at a ceremony under the tent on the New College bayfront, beginning at 7 pm.
“With fond remembrances of Dr. Michalson’s eloquence, from the first orientation speech to commencements past to personal conversations, students will appreciate his speech during the capstone of their time at New College, which will also mark the culmination of his presidency,” said Dana Ziegler, vice president of public affairs for the New College Student Alliance (NCSA). Michalson has served as president of New College since July 2001 when the College gained independence as the honors college of the State of Florida.
[New Scholars] New College begins at 10 am on May 24 with opening remarks by New College President Mike Michalson and Provost Stephen Miles. Student presentations will begin at 10:20 am, and each student will have 15 minutes to present his or her work and answer questions. At noon, there will be a keynote address shared by New College alumnus Jonathan Smiga and graduating senior Johannah Birney titled “New College of Florida: [Coffee] Grounds for Success; How a Liberal Arts Education Can Transform Business.”
A humanities major who graduated in 1980, Smiga is now CEO of Barnie’s CoffeeKitchen. Smiga took over as CEO of Barnie’s in 2010. Since that time, he has focused on giving the company a more modern feel. He is also a managing member focusing on sales and marketing for Dept. C Wines, a producer of Burgundian-styled Pinot Noir from select family vineyards in California. In addition, Smiga is managing partner of Natural Growth Ventures, a venture fund dedicated to the natural products industries.
An environmental studies major with an interest in sociology, Florida native Johanna Birney grew up in the restaurant business. She considers herself a “social entrepreneur” and researches food as a leverage point from which to influence society. An avid yoga practitioner, she was vice president of the NCSA Council for Green Affairs in 2011. After graduating, she will assume the helm of the Four Winds Café, an on-campus dining establishment that is open to the entire community, using the principles of her senior thesis to reinvigorate the café, which first opened in 1996 as an outgrowth of a student tutorial.
Proving that the connections between alumni and current students are enduring, Smiga is donating restaurant equipment to the Four Winds Café as it transforms itself under Birney’s guidance.
The keynote address will be followed by a poster session from 12:30 – 1:20 pm. Students will be on hand throughout the day to discuss and explain their projects. There will also be a panel discussion on the Occupy Wall Street movement by sociology students, introduced by sociology professor Sarah Hernandez, an expert in labor relations.
A detailed schedule and more information about the presentations are available at ncf.edu/new-scholars.
“This is a terrific opportunity to explore all things ‘New College’ and to learn about the innovative, cutting-edge work being done by students at Florida’s honors college for the liberal arts and sciences,” stated Jeanne Viviani, director of research programs and services at New College, who is coordinating the event. Viviani said she is especially enthused about the keynote concept that emphasizes the endless entrepreneurial opportunities open to liberal arts graduates.
“We are highly regarded not only because we are a student-centered institution with a focus on liberal education, providing both academic breadth and depth, but because our students move from the abstract to the practical seamlessly,” said Viviani. “Many Fortune 500 CEOs and senior corporate managers have liberal arts degrees, and New College provided the foundation for many such business leaders over its 50-plus year history and continues to do so today.”