Barbara Feldman- Women of Influence

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- by Sarasota Magazine

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Barbara Feldman- Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, New College of Florida

“I have dedicated my life to education, because it changes lives and betters the world.”

     I ENTERED COLLEGE IN THE FALL OF 1981 and have never left. Whether as a student, a professor or as an administrator, there is nowhere else

I want to be than on a college campus. While attending the University of Delaware, a professor invited me to participate in a research project focused on

the study of disasters. This opportunity led me to fall in love with the field of sociology, which lead me to the University of Pennsylvania for a Ph.D. and

confirmed my commitment to a life of learning and teaching.

     Serving as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at New College of Florida is the opportunity of a lifetime. New College of Florida is

an institution that values the very best aspects of education. It values the pursuit of knowledge in a style that ignores the conventional

boundaries and limitations of how we normally ask questions and seek answers. It turns the responsibility for learning on students and allows

the faculty to guide them on their journey.  I believe that education is the key to opening one’s world. Had I not been asked by my teacher to engage

in his research, I may never have fallen in love with learning as I did. My dream for New College of Florida, is that it continues to always be the

place where students get their chance to fall in love with learning.

Achievements

  • Successfully raised a family while building a career
  • Hired over 100 faculty throughout my career who have taught 1000s of students
  • At New Jersey City University, created “Campus Without Borders,” expanding the student experience beyond the campus, into New York City and abroad
  • Works with colleagues within the Cross-Campus Alliance to support, grow and retain a more diverse faculty and student body
  • Continually working to expand educational opportunities for New College faculty and students by creating relationships with institutions as far away as the University of the Bahamas