Lessons in Resilience How New College Adapted to the COVID-19 Pandemic BY A B BY W E I N G A RT E N ’0 0
Masked students participate in the Ecology Laboratory of Emily Heffernan, Ph.D., associate professor of biology and environmental studies. Some students are working in-class this semester while others are learning fully remotely or in a hybrid format.
COLLEGE LIFE WAS UPENDED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC,
impelling the New College community to reimagine everything—from how professors teach and innovate to how students learn and interact. And, during a period of seemingly endless question marks, the campus found a way to create inspiring answers, solutions and momentum. Faculty, staff and students adapted, regrouped and set their sights on a boundless future—even when they didn’t quite know how that would look. Students used their intellectual curiosity, self-reliance and resolve in the midst of chaos to make them better people (and to make the world better). Unprecedented dilemmas were turned into growth opportunities that would ultimately shape the College’s future and showcase its unique ability to thrive under pressure.
16 New College of Florida | nimbus
Becoming Inventive Problem Solvers
No other college in the State University System (SUS) of Florida underwent the kind of transformation New College did during the shaky spring of 2020. After the campus was evacuated in mid-March, New College moved from 100 percent in-person classes to 100 percent virtual classes in the span of a couple of weeks. The College went from an almost entirely residential campus to a totally remote setup. Former Director of Educational Technology Services Angie Fairweather crafted an advanced plan to make remote teaching an exciting, stimulating reality. Classes like art, marine biology and biochemistry—topics that might not necessarily translate well to a digital format—were reinvented.
