Holiday Season Brings Congressional Gift

New College of Florida students and faculty will benefit from nearly $750,000 in federal funding approved for the College as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2764) passed by the United States Senate and House on December 19 and signed into law by President Bush on December 26, 2007.

Thanks to key support from Congressman Vern Buchanan (R – FL13), New College will receive $292,000 in 2008 to help establish a Strategic Languages Resource Center on campus; $243,000 to enhance digital collections and infrastructure at the Jane Bancroft Cook Library; and $219,000 to help create a public archeology research laboratory aimed at identifying and preserving southwest Florida heritage.

“We appreciate the support of Congressman Buchanan and other members of the United States House and Senate for helping secure funding that will enable New College to maintain its position at the forefront of research and academics among the nation’s leading undergraduate institutions,” said New College President Mike Michalson upon receiving the news.

Each of the items funded was among the College’s congressional budget requests for 2007.

The announcement of the federal funds brought a cheerful close to a stellar year for the state honors college. During 2007, New College completed a $28 million project to construct five new residence halls on campus, received state approval toward the purchase of the Sarasota Classic Car Museum property from the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport; and once again finished ranked among the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.