Pictured: Bill Woodson, New College Dean of Outreach & Chief Diversity Officer

Academically qualified low-income students from Sarasota and Manatee counties now have increased opportunities to attend New College of Florida, the State of Florida’s designated Honors College. Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation recently awarded New College Foundation $500,000 to launch a new program targeting local high school students who have demonstrated strong academics and outstanding community leadership. New College has named this new initiative the Access Leadership Program.

“The capacity of a quality education to transform lives has long been established—and its power to open doors of opportunity is most profound for students who are first-generation college students, underrepresented minorities, or from low-income families. The loss to our community when our most talented high school students are unable to realize their full potential because of a lack of access to a top tier college education is profound,” says Teri A Hansen, president and CEO of Barancik Foundation. Bill Woodson, New College’s dean of outreach and chief diversity officer, offered a similar sentiment. “Increasing access to high-quality postsecondary education and diversifying the educated workforce are matters of local, regional, and national urgency. The vitality of the Sarasota-Manatee area and the state of Florida gains a tremendous boost when we successfully tap the talent of all of our young people, regardless of their economic status.” Woodson adds that New College will publicize the availability of the Access Leadership Program and the Barancik Foundation Scholarship at high schools throughout the region. An application, teacher recommendations, an essay detailing leadership contribution, and an interview will be used as a basis for awards.

Pictured: Bill Woodson, New College Dean of Outreach & Chief Diversity Officer

For more information about this grant or the New College Foundation