By Su Byron
The O’Shea Formula, a virtual event to honor New College President Donal O’Shea, will be held at 6 p.m. Thurs. May 6. O’Shea will be retiring in June after serving in his role since 2012.
“This event will be lighthearted and fun as we come together to celebrate and honor Dr. O’Shea’s achievements and his unwavering dedication to New College,” said MaryAnne Young, the vice president of advancement and executive director of the New College Foundation.
Event organizers will accept sponsorships through March (for full benefits), but all sponsorships will be accepted throughout the month of April.
Honorary chairs for The O’Shea Formula include Beverly and Bob Bartner, Ron Christaldi, Doug and Erin Christy, Renee Hamad, Chuck and Carol Hamilton, Sue Jacobson, Christine Jennings, Bill and Betsy Johnston, Charlene Lenger, Keith Monda and Veronica Brady, Charles and Vicki Raeburn, Mary Ruiz and Dennis Wilkison, Felice Schulaner and Dennis Rees, George and Tina Skestos, Dan and Sara Stults, and Lawrence and Elizabeth Vernaglia.
Young looks forward to spotlighting O’Shea’s contributions to New College. During his tenure as president, New College received more than $10 million from the state legislature to increase its enrollment to 1,200 students and boost four-year graduation rates to 80 percent by 2028.
O’Shea also secured state funding for an addition to the Heiser Natural Sciences Complex and to launch the master’s program in data science, two $750,000 grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support arts and humanities and community engagement, and significant private gifts to fund student scholarships.
He oversaw the launch of a dual-degree program with the University of Florida (UF), in which students can earn a bachelor of arts degree in liberal arts from New College and a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the UF Wertheim College of Engineering in five years.
Sponsorships for The O’Shea Formula are available and individual tickets are $250. All proceeds will benefit student scholarships.
For more information about the event or the New College Foundation, call 941-487-4800, email [email protected] or visit ncf.edu/osheaformula.
Su Byron is the communications specialist for the New College Foundation.