Year two: Moving forward with our enrollment growth plan

In 2017-18, New College completed the second year of its seven-year enrollment growth plan. During this period, the college hired 15 new full-time, tenure-track faculty, expanded academic and student support services, and implemented a new enrollment management strategy. The goal is to increase the size of the student body to 1,200 students.

As the designated honors college of Florida, we seek to attract and retain the best and brightest students. Our standing as one of the nation’s premier public liberal arts colleges attracts intellectually curious students who come to us with big ideas and grand plans. We encourage a high level of personal creativity and entrepreneurial ingenuity among our students.

By substantially growing our student enrollment with the concomitant investment of financial and human resources, New College seeks to increase its four-year graduation rate to more than 80 percent, competitive with the very best universities in the country. A larger student body will provide more interns and graduates to stoke the local economy and will further increase New College’s throughput as a critical pipeline for Florida’s scientists, researchers, and academics. State support of New College growth will allow New College and its neighboring institutions to propel the Sarasota-Manatee region into one of the nation’s most creative scientific, artistic, and entrepreneurial centers.

With the unanimous backing of the state university system’s Board of Governors, New College received $4.2 million in growth funds for the 2018-19 academic year.

Long-term Goal: recognition among top 20 liberal arts colleges

New College is a “shining star” among colleges, with a record comparable to national and private institutions. With high ranks and outstanding performance, 15 percent of graduates go on to Ph.D.s in science, math, and engineering — the third-highest in the U.S. We provide a great education at a low cost (less than $8,000 a year in-state) and students incur little debt, making it a boon for low-income families; 30 percent receive Pell Grants. Planning for new residence halls has begun and construction will likely begin in 2019-2020.

Growth will propel New College into the Top 20 liberal arts colleges nationally:

• New College will work to improve student affairs, boosting retention and graduation rates.
• New College will grow from approximately 800 students to 1,200 students by the year 2023. This growth would be incremental and boosted by increased retention numbers.
• New College will boost faculty and staff as the student population grows, but will maintain the crucial 10:1 student-faculty ratio.
• New College will grow facilities to modernize its campus. These funds will be requested in year 18-19 and 19-20. In addition, the College is exploring public-private partnerships (P3) for housing infrastructure needs.
• New College will utilize synergies with the Cross-College Alliance and other resources, which shares buildings (library and physical plant, among others).