60 years after New College’s founding on October 11, 1960, the New College Foundation launched a giving campaign that raised $51,239 and a virtual New Topics New College lecture series to celebrate the college’s milestone, raise funds for the Foundation and spotlight noteworthy alumni.

The giving campaign lasted from Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 8 a.m. to Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 4:40 p.m. New College Foundation Executive Director MaryAnne Young said she was “thrilled and grateful” for the overwhelming show of support from 436 donors made up of alumni, community friends, parents, staff and faculty. Givers were able to receive a New College face mask for donations of $19.60 or more, and thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, the first donor had the ability to direct a gift of $2,500 to a campus fund of their choosing. 

After 60 years of success, Young said the New College Foundation’s top aspiration is to increase the scholarship endowment so that every student can graduate without student loan debt. Young also emphasized that the College aimed to highlight and raise the profile of its alumni and the college as a whole, and described the virtual celebration of the college’s anniversary as a success so far.

“We’d hoped to have a celebration with students, staff, faculty and community friends in person,” Young said. “Obviously, that is not possible, so we are holding virtual alumni and Sarasota community town halls to share New College’s milestone. The silver lining is that because all the lectures are virtual, we are reaching alumni and friends all across the country.”

The 2020-2021 New Topics New College series is sponsored in part by Sarasota Magazine and will run October through March. Each lecture will be streamed via Zoom at 5 p.m. Eastern time on the date listed and tickets are $10. Reservations can be made below or by calling the New College events hotline at 941-487-4888. Tickets are free for New College students, faculty, staff and alumni. 

“We are really proud of you and of our alumni who go on to make a real difference in the world,” Young said. “In this unusual time, New College’s education is more important than ever in helping to solve issues that affect all of us.  We’ve had an impact for 60 years and I expect that we will for the next 60 years.”