“New College has always been about giving students an education that enables them to take a stand and improve their world, and that is precisely aligned with the purpose of the Daughters for Life Foundation,” said Dr. Donal O’Shea, president of New College. Now, New College of Florida and Daughters for Life have launched an initiative, called Educate for Change. With support from community partners, the institutions will bring young women from across the Middle East to New College for a transformational education that will help them become the experts and leaders their homelands need. The partners hope to bring up to 10 women a year to New College on full four-year scholarships. “New College has always been about giving students an education that enables them to take a stand and improve their world, and that is precisely aligned with the purpose of the Daughters for Life Foundation,” said Dr. Donal O’Shea, president of New College. “We are honored to be working with Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, the founder of Daughters for Life, who has so eloquently made the case for peace and the education of women as the way to resolve conflict and strengthen the institutions of the nations of the Middle East.” Dr. Abuelaish said the New College partnership would benefit the world and the immediate community. “Education is the greatest tool for fighting the injustice in the world,” he said. “These women who will come to New College will be a great asset and you will be proud of them. And they will be proud of you.” Since its launch in June, Educate for Change has built a steering committee of community leaders, including
clergy from all faiths, and begun fundraising for the scholarships. Daughters for Life and the New College Admissions Office plan to identify applicants for the program by early 2014. The first slate of students, to be known as Daughters for Life Scholars, will be admitted in Fall 2014. They will have to meet all academic requirements of other New College students, including the provision of SAT or ACT scores, and will have to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Scholars will participate in the College’s orientation programs and will live on campus with other students. A local Host Committee will help each Scholar adjust to the community and provide housing over school breaks. President O’Shea met two Daughters for Life Scholars at an event in Toronto and came away impressed with their intelligence and resilience. “The extraordinary thing about these women we met is the odds they overcame to get to college, and sort of tradeoffs they had to face,” he said. O’Shea sees great value in fostering the relationships between the Daughters for Life Scholars, the College’s traditional students and the community: “Not only will this benefit the women we bring here, it will benefit our students from Florida and the United States, who will need to take their place in a multicultural and highly diverse world.”
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