Students recently learned that Associate Provost Raymonda Burgman (check year) and Director of Communication and Marketing Jake Hartvigsen are leaving their current positions to pursue other ventures.

Burgman, a New College alumna, will be assuming a position at Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) starting on June 1, though she jokes about going into the office on a Saturday. Burgman will be the director of the three North American institutes after spending nearly two years as the New College Associate Provost.

HERS is an organization “dedicated to advancing women leaders and advocating gender equity in higher education” and recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary. According to their website, HERS has enriched the lives of 4,300 women at their institutes in Denver, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, and South Africa. Burgman said one of the main reasons she enjoyed working at New College was being able to give back to a community that gave her so much.

“I enjoyed my time here,” Burgman said. “I wish I was staying longer, but it’s what I said earlier, I’m an alum, you can’t get rid of me. I’ll be back. [Working at New College] just felt like a really small thing that I could do and have that experience [of] going through a presidential transition after having a president on campus for such a long amount of time. And it was a great time for me to be here because I knew President [Gordon “Mike”] Michelson when I was here as a student … And so coming back and working with someone familiar as well as the Provost and then being like, ‘Okay, I’ve been through this,’ … and everyone was like, ‘What’s happening, what’s going on,’ and I was like, ‘It’s okay, it’s alright, I’ve been through this, I’m good.’ So it was a good time to be here.”

Also leaving at the end of the semester is Director of Communications and Marketing Jake Hartvigsen. Since 2003, Hartvigsen has overseen “incredibly talented full-time staff” and has dealt with community outreach, social media, space reservation and management of College-related events, and the design and management of the website and MyNCF portal, among many other things. Additionally, his department gives aid to the admissions office and the New College Foundation in regards to their fundraising efforts.

Hartvigsen is leaving his current position to run his own business Brand Underground, a full-service marketing and communications firm based in Sarasota, specializing in helping educational institutions, non-profit agencies and other business build and improving market strategies.

“New College will always hold a special place in my heart,” Hartvigsen said. “One of my favorite memories about my New College experience goes all the way back to the beginning of my employment here in Fall of 2003. It was an incredibly tense time, as we had only recently gained independence from the University of South Florida and there were constant squabbles going on over control of the campus and all sorts of things. Within about three weeks of my having been hired as the college’s Media Relations Coordinator my boss, Steve Schroer, the Director of Public Affairs at the time, announced that he was stepping down. President Michalson showed incredible confidence in me and asked if I would step in and take over the role. I hope the ensuing years have proven his decision to be a good one and that I have served New College well.”

John Martin wrote in an e-mail to the Student List that effective April 9, Director of Facilities and Management Planning Bob Mason would be taking a new position at the University of Central Florida as the Director of Facility Operation. He began working on-campus three years ago and will have his position interned by Alan Dawson, the current, Associate Director of Facilities Management and Planning until the position is filled.

Community Life Coordinator Katy Collins (’06) will also not be returning to her position next year. At press time, details of her successor and Collins’ plans were still emerging.