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On Campus
Alumnus Michael Freedman ‘84 is giving back to New College through his love of art and memories of New College. Prints of the Palm Court painting are available for purchase and all sales will go to support student scholarships.
Visit michaeljamesfreedman.com to learn more!
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CAMPUS NEWS
NCF Students Compete in First Moot Court Tournament
For the first time in the school’s history, New College sent students to compete in the Mid-South Regional of the 2020-2021 American Moot Court Association (AMCA) national championship tournament at the end of October.
The event empowered six Novo Collegians (Rhys Shanahan, Natalie Kornblum, Natalie Spivey, Rasheed “Zane” DiVita, Isabel Nieves, and KarYan “Max” OoHlaing) to practice their legal skills by arguing imaginary cases.
“This was a unique, historic moment for our students,” said David Fugett, New College’s general counsel and the team’s coach. “Moot court is a really good exercise for students to start thinking like lawyers. Our students are extremely bright and well-suited for an event like this, and I’m very proud of them.”
New College students were organized into three twostudent teams to face off against 13 schools: Liberty University, Georgetown University, Duke University, Michigan State University, Texas A&M University, the University of Texas, the University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University, Bridgewater College, Marietta College, Regent University, Patrick Henry College and Yale University.
“They represented New College against some of the finest moot court programs in the country, and they did so with a professionalism and skill well beyond their years and their experience level,” Fugett said.
New College’s involvement in the AMCA tournament is a milestone, and it came only nine months after another historic event for the College. In February, at the University of Central Florida, the New College Mock Trial Team (including Shanahan and Kornblum) successfully competed in the American Mock Trial Association’s Regional Tournament. It was the first time New College had ever participated in the competition.
Novo Collegians went up against the top teams from the University of Miami, Florida International University and Flagler College, as well as a team from England’s De Montfort University (New College outscored law students at the latter by 15 points).
Moot court and mock trial training are invaluable for students who are on the pre-law track.
CAMPUS NEWS
To garner interest and increase enrollment among local scholars, New College is offering guaranteed admission to students enrolled at six SarasotaManatee high schools.
The program was launched in Fall 2020 for attendees of Booker, Lakewood Ranch, North Port, Riverview, Sarasota and Southeast High Schools. Interested students must meet grade point average, test score and course requirements to apply.
“New College is eager to attract more students from our surrounding communities who seek an affordable, highly individualized college education that integrates superb academics with career-building experience,” said Damon Wade, Ph.D., New College’s vice president for enrollment management. “For students in Sarasota and Manatee, the state of Florida’s honors college is literally in their backyard.”
New College also has a guaranteed admission agreement with State College of Florida (SCF) that is available to students who earn an associate’s degree in two years.
In November and December, as part of an effort to spread the word about these opportunities communitywide, New College joined a collaborative initiative called Choosing the College That’s Right for You (CCR4U). During three CCR4U panel-style discussions, leaders from New College, SCF, the University of South Florida SarasotaManatee and Ringling College of Art and Design teamed up to connect with more than 100 Sarasota-Manatee high school students.
As members of the Cross College Alliance (CCA), all four colleges offer cross-registration, allowing students at any CCA school to sample classes from the other three institutions at no additional cost. This partnership gives students access to more than 400 full-time faculty members and hundreds of courses.
The CCR4U panels and New College’s guaranteed admission program are just facets of a much larger goal—to continue connecting local high school students with New College and promoting the opportunities it provides.
CAMPUS NEWS
New College Launches Its First Online Store
Swag, anyone? It is now as easy as a keyboard click to get branded T-shirts, hoodies and drinkware at the New College online store: shop.ncf.edu.
“This is something our alumni and students have been wanting for quite some time,” said Ann Comer-Woods, the director of the Office of Communications & Marketing (OCM) at New College.
To execute the design and prepare the inventory for the Fall 2020 launch of the site, Follett Higher Education began working in the spring with a team at New College that included Comer-Woods; Kim McDonald, the OCM’s associate director and creative services manager; and Chris Kinsley, New College’s vice president for finance and administration.
Prior to the redesign, a limited supply of New College merchandise was available online on the dual site with the University of South Florida (USF) Sarasota-Manatee campus. But the brick-and-mortar bookstore at 6301 North Tamiami Trail on the west side of the New College campus was always where most students and faculty members purchased their materials. The physical bookstore at New College continues to remain open in addition to the online option.
“What’s great about the new online store is that we’re not confined by physical space anymore,” Comer-Woods said. “And the inventory you could order online [from the old USF-run site] was extremely limited before, so the advantage of having our own online campus store is it allows us to offer a much broader, diverse range of merchandise branded with the New College insignia.”
Some of those products include decal magnets, duffel totes, backpacks, hats, scarves and collectibles. There are even items for infants, toddlers and pets, and offerings from brands like Adidas®, Columbia® and Under Armour®.
“The other nice aspect of it is that New College donors will be able to get a discount on merchandise through the Novo Perks program,” Comer-Woods said.
CAMPUS NEWS
Inspiring cultural dialogue was the goal and cinema was the medium as the second annual “Visions of the Black Experience” film series returned to New College in the fall.
From November 12 to 22, the free virtual festival showcased 30 selections (including both local and international features and shorts) that illuminated historical, social and cultural aspects of Black life.
Organizers hosted 13 dialogue sessions and drew more than 1,500 unique viewers from 10 countries. The overarching themes included social justice, youth engagement and activism, and healthcare in the Black community—all issues that remained at the forefront of the collective conversation throughout 2020.
“With many of the selections this year, we wanted to reflect on our history—where our country has been—and to understand the power young people have when they use their voices to stand up and make a difference,” said Bill Woodson, Ph.D., New College’s dean of outreach and engagement and chief diversity officer.
One of the selected films emphatically made Woodson’s point—a documentary entitled Into the Storm, which students at Sarasota’s Booker High School produced in 2019. It is a true story about young activists who fought to keep their cherished, predominantly Black Newtown institution open at a time when court-ordered desegregation led to mass closings of Black schools countrywide. The story is particularly poignant, as it takes place in the same year that Booker’s dominant men’s basketball team ascended to win the state championship.
“Today’s political environment has caused many young people to question whether their voice matters,” Woodson said. “Well, this film provides strong evidence that it does.”
To delve further into this discussion, festival organizers invited students from Booker, Sarasota and Southeast High Schools (among other institutions) to join a live post-film talk via Zoom.
CAMPUS NEWS
Career Center Gives Students a Leg Up in Job Marketability
ovo Collegians are getting the royal treatment when it N comes to intensive career planning—from the first year of enrollment all the way to graduation—with the Novo Career Advantage.
Developed by New College’s Center for Career Engagement and Opportunity (CEO), this four-year roadmap for undergraduates (launched in Fall 2020) consists of simple, professional development steps that give students an edge in the ever-evolving job market.
“This is the framework we are using to help students tell their stories in a competitive way,” said CEO Director Dwayne Peterson. “We are helping ensure that students are career-ready, with the communication skills they need to make a successful transition after graduation.”
The program includes everything from student career assessment sessions to one-on-one appointments with career coaches and resume-building experiences (such as internships, study abroad opportunities and independent study projects).
Additionally, in October, the CEO hosted its first-ever Graduate & Professional School Expo to help students explore their post-undergraduate options. Considering 70 percent of Novo Collegians go on to pursue graduate or professional school within five years of graduation, the CEO team saw a niche that needed to be filled, and the Expo allowed attendees to research a variety of graduate-level programs.
Also in Fall 2020, the CEO launched its Professionals in Residence program to pair students with industry leaders. The initiative encourages students to schedule appointments with executives regarding career advice, networking, interviewing practice, and job and internship searching.
The five professionals in residence are currently Henry F. Anthony; Angela Haines; Patricia Courtois; Dr. Lisa Merritt; and Dan Stults, Ph.D.
“This program is a continuation of our goal to bring more professionals in contact with our students at New College,” Peterson said. “It is a continuation of the New College Mentorship Network, where we already have over 400 people available to offer career advice to students.”
What’s Happening
PERFORMANCE @ NEW COLLEGE
Students in [performance @ new college] participate in various shows throughout the spring semester (both in-person and virtually), from Carrie the Musical to The Little Prince.
DISABILITY AWARENESS MONTH NEW CREW SRQ
Marra Piazza Brass, the associate director of Student Disability Services, helped created a comprehensive Disability Awareness Month program throughout March at New College. The first multi-school collegiate rowing crew, New Crew SRQ emerged on the Suncoast in March, thanks largely to the vision of third-year student/team founder Antonia “Toni” Ginsberg-Klemmt.
