SARASOTA, Fla. — The New College of Florida Board of Trustees unanimously approved an agreement to receive the donation of a nine-acre parcel from Manatee County on February 22. The land donation, which first came before the Board at its December 2023 meeting, was unanimously approved by the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners on February 13.
“This land will be important for the rapid growth New College will experience over the next several years, allowing us to immediately plan for New College to meet its residential honors college mission while increasing the student population” said Richard Corcoran, President of New College. “The Manatee County Commission has been wonderful to work with and I’m grateful for their support of New College’s efforts to become America’s top liberal arts college.”
The donated land is waterfront property located on the northern portion of the Powel Crosley Estate, north of the existing New College campus. New College is currently engaged in updating its Campus Master Plan, and the latest drafts shared at a public hearing last month call for a pair of student residence halls on the property.
A copy of the full donation agreement can be viewed online at ncf.edu/bot. For more information about the New College Campus Master Plan, visit ncf.edu/masterplan.
VIDEO: Manatee County Board of County Commissioners votes to approve land donation.
VIDEO: New College Board of Trustees votes to approve land donation.
Founded in Sarasota in 1960, New College of Florida was named the No. 1 Public Liberal Arts College by Washington Monthly in 2023 and is the Honors College of Florida. New College provides students with limitless, original opportunities for success through a highly individualized education that combines academic excellence, undergraduate research opportunities, and career preparation experiences.
New College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors in arts, humanities and sciences; a master’s degree program in applied data science; exceptional STEM opportunities, including a home for world-class marine biology and marine mammal studies; and intercollegiate athletics in the NAIA.