Three recent graduates are back on the bayfront, this time recruiting the students who will follow them.
Ask a high school senior what they want to know about a college, and the answer is rarely in the brochure. They want to know what it is actually like. At New College of Florida, some of the people answering that question were students themselves not long ago.
Anna Lazzara, Lucy Duke and Dania Hefley have joined the New College admissions team as recruiters. They meet students at college fairs and high schools across Florida and beyond, and on campus they walk families through the place they called home.
On paper, the three have little in common. Lazzara grew up a few miles from campus and graduated from Sarasota High School. Duke came from Tallahassee and Leon High School, Florida’s oldest continually accredited high school. Hefley was born in Barcelona, Venezuela, and lived in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Houston, Texas, before graduating from QSI International School of Tbilisi in the country of Georgia. They studied humanities and museum studies, political science, and creative writing.
What they share is harder to fit in a brochure, and it is the reason they came back. Each of them found someone at New College who noticed them early, handed them real responsibility, and stayed with them.
Someone in Their Corner
Each can name the moment the college became personal. For Lazzara, it was Jim Pulos, Associate Director of Global Education. When she set her sights on studying abroad in Florence, Italy, Pulos helped her navigate scholarships, prepare for the experience and adjust to life overseas, and he kept checking in after she arrived.
“He was my biggest supporter,” she recalls. For a student who chose a college close to home, it was proof that a hometown education could open doors around the world.
Hefley saw the same care from the other side. After years of moving between cities and cultures, she found a creative community at New College, writing for The New College Review and Nullspace magazine and joining the Creative Writing Club. Then she worked as a resident advisor and teaching assistant for the Summer Scholars program and saw what usually stays out of view.
“During my time with the Summer Scholars program as an RA and TA, I began to see all the hard work that happens behind the scenes and how much people genuinely care about the students,” Hefley says. “It reminded me why I loved being at New College in the first place, and I realized I wanted to stay involved.”
Trusted Early
The other thread running through their stories is how early they were trusted. Lazzara served in the New College Student Association, interned with the New College Foundation and helped create Rooty, the college’s official mascot.
Duke played on the women’s soccer team, interned with the Office of Communications and Marketing, and represented her classmates at the Florida Capitol during New College of Florida Day. As a Presidential Ambassador and member of the President’s Inner Circle, she had a close view of how a college is led.
That kind of trust comes more easily at a small college, where students are known by name and expected to step up.
“Attending New College was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” Duke says. “Every day brought something new to learn, a new friend to meet, an unexpected path to consider, and an opportunity to seize. It is the kind of education and environment that every student deserves, and I am passionate about helping others discover everything this school makes possible.”
Coming Back
When the chance came to join admissions, none of them saw it as a detour. “This place gave so much to me in the way of skills, friendships, and connections,” Lazzara says. “I was thrilled about the opportunity to give back and introduce other students to this special place.”
What they bring to the job is evidence rather than talking points. When a high school junior asks what New College is really like, they can answer with a name, a semester, and an opportunity that was offered before they thought to ask for it.
For Sarasota, there is something fitting in it. The college that has sat on the bay since 1960 is now sending its own graduates out to find the next class, and inviting families to come see the campus for themselves.
The timing matters. It is application season, and for any student weighing New College, the best introduction is the one these three had: come to campus, ask questions, and talk to the people who lived it.
They arrived by different paths and left shaped by the same place. Now they are the ones welcoming the next generation of Banyans. Their journeys have come full circle.
Applications for fall 2027 are now open. Students and families interested in New College can learn more, schedule a campus visit or begin an application at ncf.edu.
About New College of Florida
Founded in 1960, New College of Florida is the state’s designated public honors college. Recognized nationally for academic excellence, rigorous inquiry and a commitment to free expression, New College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors; graduate programs in Applied Data Science, Marine Mammal Science and Educational Leadership; and a growing NAIA athletics program on a 151-acre campus on Sarasota Bay.
Sooner or later, each of us has to answer a simple question: how do we know whether we are doing well?
The easiest answer is to look at what others say about us. Praise suggests we are succeeding, and criticism suggests we are not. It is a natural instinct, but an unreliable one. A person whose sense of worth rests on the opinions of others will rise and fall with every headline and every passing remark, many of them from people who have never seen the work.
There is a better measure: how we show up.
Do we do the work when no one is watching? Do we do the work when everyone is watching? Do we keep our commitments? Do we grow better at what we do, year after year? None of those questions depend on anyone’s approval. Each of them depends on our actions.
I have been thinking about this as New College begins a new academic year. People have had plenty to say about New College recently — some generous, some critical, and much of it political. We welcome the scrutiny. We are disrupting the status quo, and change always invites loud opinions. A public college belongs to the public, and the public is right to ask hard questions.
But we have never measured ourselves by commentary. We measure ourselves by student success.
This Fall, three independent national publications offered their own measures of New College, each using a different method.
Washington Monthly asks what a college contributes to the country, weighing social mobility, graduation outcomes and public service rather than wealth or prestige. This year it named New College the No. 1 public liberal arts college in the United States and No. 6 among all liberal arts colleges.
The Princeton Review asks the students themselves. Our students rated their professors 95 for how interesting and 95 for how accessible they are, among the highest marks the survey awards. New College ranked No. 2 in the nation for financial aid and No. 24 for value, and was named one of 50 Colleges That Create Futures.
Families are rightly demanding proof that a college degree is still worth the investment, and students are asking what a degree will mean in a world being reshaped by artificial intelligence. Those are fair questions, and every college should be prepared to answer them. To be recognized nationally for the value of the education we provide, at the very moment that value is being questioned, matters. It tells a family that an investment here returns something tangible.
U.S. News & World Report applies its own set of institutional measures, with double-digit growth in academic investment of resources per student, rising to No. 14 nationally among liberal arts colleges.
These are three publications using three methods and drawing on no common data. When people asking different questions arrive at the same answer, it is worth noticing.
Let me be perfectly clear to our students and community: we do not chase rankings. They are a reflection of the work, not the work itself. A ranking can move for reasons that have little to do with what happens in a classroom. If we chased them, we would be making the same mistake as the person who lives by others’ opinions.
The work is the point. We define success by the student writing a rigorous senior thesis guided by a professor who knows her by name. We see it in the young, undergraduate researcher actively studying dolphins on Sarasota Bay, the student taking ownership of their education through an academic contract, and the athletes building a new program from the ground up.
In a world where artificial intelligence can supply almost any answer, the value of an education lies less in information than in learning how to think. That means learning how to ask a better question, how to test an assumption, and how to hold one’s own reasoning up to challenge. That is what students are learning to do at New College. That is how a college shows up, and the rankings reflect it.
This week we opened a new season of the Markovitz Socratic Stage. It rests on one of the oldest ideas in classical education: that an idea is worth holding only if it can withstand questioning. Socrates taught openly and expected to be challenged.
The classical tradition understood character as something practiced rather than proclaimed. Institutional success is exactly the same.
We do not ask you to judge New College by what pundits say about us, or even by the national rankings we continue to earn. We ask that you judge us by our work. Come to campus. Sit in on a class, attend a debate, and meet our students.
Showing up, doing the work, and embracing the challenge — that is the standard we hold ourselves to, and it is the exact standard we equip our graduates to carry into the world.
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Richard Corcoran is president of New College of Florida.
Washington Monthly, The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report each place the public honors college of Florida among the nation’s strongest public liberal arts colleges, with gains concentrated in the categories that decide student futures and the value of a degree.
SARASOTA, Fla., Sept. 22, 2026 – New College of Florida rose across three national college rankings published this cycle. Each places the college among the top public liberal arts colleges in the country. Each shows gains in the measures that forecast what happens to students after they graduate.
Together, these three different ranking systems carry more weight than any single system alone. The three publications measure different things by different methods and share no common data set. Washington Monthly rates colleges on what they contribute to the public good, weighing social mobility, graduation outcomes and public service. The Princeton Review builds its rankings entirely from surveys of enrolled students. U.S. News & World Report weighs class size, faculty composition and academic resources per student. New College improved in all three.
“Last year I said we were determined to earn top rankings across multiple national publications,” said Richard Corcoran, President of New College of Florida. “These metrics prove the positive outcomes New College is creating. It also comes at a moment when families are asking a fair question about whether a degree is still worth the investment. Our answer is that the content of the four years matters. A student who writes a thesis, who is known by name by full-time faculty, and who has taken responsibility for their own education under an academic contract is not interchangeable with their transcript. Three independent rankings now say we are building that.”
What the three rankings show
Washington Monthly
Washington Monthly rates institutions on what they do for the country rather than on wealth, selectivity or prestige, weighing social mobility, graduation outcomes and public service. New College was named:
- No. 1 among public liberal arts colleges in the United States.
- No. 1 among liberal arts colleges in Florida.
- No. 6 among all liberal arts colleges in the United States.
- 44th overall among 1,583 ranked institutions.
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is the only one of the three built on what students say. Its rankings come from surveys of enrolled students, not from institutional data. In the Best Colleges 2027edition, announced in August, New College earned its strongest recognition to date from the publication:
- Named one of the 50 Colleges That Create Futures
- No. 2 nationally among Top Public Schools for Financial Aid
- No. 24 among Best Public College Values
- A rating of 97 for how interesting students find their professors, and 95 for how accessible those professors are, on a scale that tops out at 99
- Named to the Best 392 Colleges and the Best in the South
Those faculty ratings are among the highest marks the survey awards, and they come from students rather than from the college. New College also received ratings of 92 for financial aid, 88 for academics and 87 for admissions selectivity.
U.S. News & World Report
In the 2027 Best Colleges edition, New College improved by double digits in three metrics. Each draws on data since 2023, illustrating the college’s current academic model rather than earlier years. In that time, New College of Florida has made substantial strides in:
- Financial resources, or academic resources per student, where the college ranks 14th nationally among liberal arts colleges and has shown a 64% score increase.
- Academic profile of the entering class as measured by standardized test scores, where it ranks 37th, a 60% score increase.
- Share of faculty who are full-time, where it ranks 88th, a 27% score increase.
The measures that moved for New College describe the kind of education that is hardest to automate. Small classes. A faculty that is overwhelmingly full-time. Academic resources concentrated on a few hundred students.
“Our response to a shifting economy is to lean into the rigorous, hands-on research that defines this institution,” said Provost David Rohrbacher. “Whether they are working in our Data Science master’s program or researching marine life in Sarasota Bay, our students are actively addressing real world problems. They leave here with a combination of practical skills and intellectual grounding that AI cannot replicate, which is why their futures are so secure.”
The college credits three features of its academic model. An academic contract under which each student takes documented responsibility for their own course of study. A senior thesis or capstone required of every graduate. Close work with full-time faculty across disciplines. New College leads all public colleges in the country in the share of graduates who go on to earn doctorates.
New College invites families, educators and neighbors across the region to visit the campus on Sarasota Bay, sit in on a class and see the work.
About New College of Florida
New College of Florida is the public honors college of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1960, the college offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and a master’s degree in data science on a 151-acre campus on Sarasota Bay. Founded in 1960, New College of Florida is the state’s designated public honors college. Recognized nationally for its academic excellence, rigorous inquiry, and commitment to free expression, New College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, graduate programs in Applied Data Science, Marine Mammal Science, and a new Master’s program in Educational Leadership, and a growing NAIA athletics program on a 151-acre campus on Sarasota Bay.
SARASOTA, FL — In a highly unconventional and deeply effective approach to prison rehabilitation, Dr. Tyler Fisher and his undergraduate students at New College of Florida are utilizing purpose-built puppetry to teach vital job interview skills to incarcerated individuals.
Funded by a Community Impact Grant from United Arts of Central Florida, Dr. Fisher is collaborating with the bilingual performing arts non-profit Open Scene to bring the program, “The Art of Interviewing: Voice, Vision, Vocation,” to the Osceola County Corrections Department. Having recently concluded a highly successful series of puppetry workshops in English and Spanish with both male and female inmates, Dr. Fisher and his team are focusing the program this summer specifically on female inmates and the unique challenges they face during reentry.
The New College Difference: Real-World Undergraduate Impact
This initiative highlights exactly what sets New College of Florida apart from peer institutions: providing undergraduates with hands-on, real-world experience that goes far beyond traditional classroom theory.
New College students Jones Hogsed and Alicia Byrne serve as integral co-creators of the project. Rather than simply observing, they are gaining high-level professional experience by contributing directly to the program’s daily execution.
“What truly distinguishes New College is that our undergraduates are doing the kind of hands-on, community-impacting work usually reserved for graduate students or full-time professionals,” said Dr. Fisher. “Jones and Alicia are not just assisting; they are actively building a curriculum and facilitating a program that gives incarcerated individuals a real second chance.”
Byrne, who is pursuing an English and Creative Writing concentration, has leveraged her academic focus to directly shape the curriculum by:
- Drafting Custom Practice Scripts: Writing engaging interview scripts for the initial practice sessions.
- Creating Distinct Scenarios: Developing three playful, tiered scripts for the puppets to perform—ranging from a deliberately “disastrous” interview to a solid, adequate interview, and an off-the-charts superlative interview.
Serious Fun: The Psychology of Carceral Puppetry
Working alongside Open Scene and co-teacher Leah Basaria, Dr. Fisher and the students designed specific puppet-building materials that are safe and effective for a carceral environment.
The custom-designed puppets function as highly specialized therapeutic and educational tools:
- Safe Construction: Crafted strictly from soft foam and felt.
- Meaningful Self-Representation: Featuring interchangeable appendages and facial features that inmates assemble themselves.
- Neutral Design: Intentionally designed as anthropomorphic (human-like) figures in non-human colors to avoid any racial connotations.
Envisioning the Future: Puppet Personas and Career Goals
Going beyond physical assembly, the puppets act as distinct, forward-looking personas for the incarcerated students. Each puppet is given a unique name and a specific job aspiration envisioned by the student, allowing them to visualize their future success. Real examples created during the workshops include:
- Sheree, aspiring Dog Kennel Owner
- Pepito, Jr., Camionero (Truck Driver)
- Waffles, Asphalt Foreman
- Little One, Clothing Retailer
- Sir Charles Legend, Restaurateur
During a four-week workshop series, the inmates use these custom personas to practice mock job interviews.
“The puppet acts as an empowering extension of the self,” Fisher explained. “It equips these individuals to overcome the shame, inhibitions, and self-consciousness that often accompany job interviews after incarceration. If a critique is given during the mock interview, it is directed at the puppet, not the person. That critical distance relieves the pressure and is completely transformative for their confidence and agency.”
From Inmates to Artists: The Upcoming Public Exhibition
The profound impact of this scalable program will soon be shared with the broader community. Beginning in September 2026, the puppets created by the inmates will be exhibited at the Hart Memorial Central Library, the principal library of the Osceola Library System.
“As these individuals prepare to reenter society, we want the public to see them as artful makers, creators, and performers,” Fisher noted. “This exhibition is a positive display of their self-portraits in puppetry. It serves as a creative, humanizing alternative to a traditional mugshot.”
About New College of Florida
Founded in 1960, New College of Florida is the state’s designated public honors college. Recognized nationally for its academic excellence, rigorous inquiry, and commitment to free expression, New College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, graduate programs in Applied Data Science, Marine Mammal Science, and a new Master’s program in Educational Leadership, and a growing NAIA athletics program.
Aligning with the Fulcrum Career Center Mission
This hands-on initiative aligns perfectly with the mission of the Fulcrum Career Center at New College of Florida. The center empowers students to connect their liberal arts education with meaningful careers through intentional professional development, personalized coaching, internships, mentorship, and experiential learning. By partnering with employers, alumni, and faculty, the Career Center helps students build the skills, experiences, and professional networks needed for success after graduation, preparing them to lead lives of purpose and make meaningful contributions to their communities.
This spring, New College of Florida welcomed students from approximately 45 organizations across the Sarasota-Manatee region to showcase the culmination of their for-credit internship experiences. At the College’s Internship Symposium, students presented projects and deliverables that reflected the remarkable breadth of opportunities available within our local economy—from marine conservation and economic development to healthcare initiatives and classroom education.
These presentations represented far more than academic exercises. They demonstrated the incredible drive and talent of New College students: young professionals eager to contribute meaningful work and prepared to enter the workforce upon graduation.
Every day, the Career Center meets with students seeking impactful experiences and employers looking to engage the next generation of talent. Time and again, we see the exact same reality emerge: students are eager to invest their skills in the communities where they learn.
A New Era of Professional and Civic Engagement
For decades, New College has maintained a distinct presence in Sarasota, often viewed primarily as a place where students come to study, reflect, and pursue intellectual interests. While that academic spirit remains central to the institution’s identity, today’s students are also invested in professional development and civic engagement.
As Sarasota and Manatee continue to grow, there is an increasing need to ensure that students drawn to our region have viable opportunities to remain here after graduation.
Research from organizations such as the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and the Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA) consistently highlights internships as one of the strongest indicators of successful post-graduation employment. Meaningful, hands-on experiences allow students to develop professional skills, establish local networks, and envision long-term futures within the communities they serve. For employers, internships offer an invaluable opportunity to cultivate and retain talent in an increasingly competitive workforce landscape.
Building Pipelines Through Targeted Partnerships
New College is actively building these critical talent pipelines through intentional, community-focused initiatives. These targeted programs illustrate the profound potential of local partnerships:
- Pathways to Health and Pathways to Education: By connecting students with healthcare programs, local schools, and community organizations, these initiatives support crucial sectors facing significant workforce needs while providing students with practical mentorship and hands-on experience.
- The Community-Driven Internship Program: This initiative recognizes the expansive ecosystem of nonprofit organizations that sustains Sarasota and Manatee counties. Through strategic partnerships, students contribute their talents to organizations addressing critical community needs while gaining experience in public service, advocacy, and civic leadership.
These opportunities not only strengthen the capacity of local organizations but also encourage students to become invested in the future of our region. They begin to see themselves not simply as temporary college-town residents, but as future educators, caregivers, innovators, nonprofit leaders, and engaged citizens.
An Investment in Economic Vitality
The continued growth and success of our region depend on intentional investment in professional development opportunities. Internships are not merely resume-building experiences; they are critical pipelines that strengthen local industries, connect students to their communities, and help ensure that our region retains the talented individuals we have worked so hard to attract.
Through partnerships between New College of Florida and organizations across the region, experiential learning can continue to serve as a powerful foundation for economic growth, workforce development, and community engagement. By investing in these collaborative opportunities today, we are investing directly in the future of Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Partner With Us to Build the Future
If your company or organization wants to invest in our local workforce pipeline—whether by offering meaningful internships or making a financial investment to support college students in our community—please reach out to me.
Together, we can ensure the next generation of talent thrives right here.