New College of Florida Announces an Ambitious Challenge 

October 19, 2022 – Sarasota

Today, New College of Florida announced “The New College Challenge.” Called a “grand experiment,” the initiative will bring together students and leaders from top universities, industries and the community to discuss the issues facing our campus and our region – with a focus on coastal, environmental, economic and social resilience.

“In the face of increasing pressures to become more relevant and resilient, colleges and universities have to stand out and take a stand,” said New College President Dr. Patricia Okker. “As the state’s designated public honors college, New College of Florida is rising to the challenge and embarking on this initiative to design a more resilient campus for the future.”

New College is enlisting experts from Harvard, Yale, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, Kean University, Syracuse University, Northeastern University and the University of Miami to lend their unique perspectives to The Challenge team. Some of these academic faculty members and student partners will help re-envision the spaces and places on the New College campus. 

“We believe that having these renowned design thinkers with us for The Challenge provides an unparalleled chance to reimagine our coastal campus,” said Dr. David Brain, a professor of sociology and the director of the Urban Studies Program at New College. Brain is leading The Challenge’s academic focus for New College and working with the identified schools to create models for resilience during their upcoming Spring classes. Ultimately, the teams will present a public exhibition of their findings in Fall 2023. 

“Now is not the time to play it safe. Instead, we see this as a time to take intelligent risks as we build toward a more resilient future,” Okker said. “Hurricane Ian heightened the opportunities to work together – in higher education, and with business experts and community leaders. We look forward to the exciting ideas from our partners as we launch The New College Challenge together.”