Photo courtesy of New College of Florida.

As we rebuild New College from the ground up, figuratively and literally, we are mindful of how our school can foster a sense of community. This mission is core to our belief that endeavoring to promote high character, true collaboration and healthy competition builds genuinely exceptional people who are prepared to enter the world at large in a meaningful and impactful way.

Sports is a critical component of this mission. 

As a father of six children who have found deep joy and purpose in their athletic experiences, I can attest firsthand to the value of their involvement with sports. Characteristics like grit and determination are essential components of what makes a person resilient, and these are attributes that we must encourage in our culture and student body at New College. By nature, scholar-athletes are hardworking problem solvers who adapt to challenges. Indeed, many of them actively seek to be challenged, which is what led more than 155 scholar-athletes to join our record Fall 2023 incoming class.

When New College’s athletic program grows to its fully matured size, we anticipate scholar-athletes will make up approximately 25-30% of the overall student body. This is in line with many other elite liberal arts institutions. Williams, Bates, and Bowdoin all have athlete populations that make up 36% of their respective student bodies. Several others exceed 30%, and even Dartmouth and Princeton are above 20%. Even liberal arts schools that share our no-letters system of grading, like Evergreen State College in Washington for example, field sports teams to compete in the NAIA.

At New College, adding athletics is about including a new kind of student to our rigorous academic and intellectually stimulating community: Scholar-athletes who will add vibrancy to our campus culture. Many of the challenges and lessons associated with competitive sports have parallels to the fundamental tenets of classical liberal arts.

Athletes develop physically and mentally while strengthening traits like teamwork, camaraderie, and adaptability. All our graduates should leave New College with an unconstrained ability to manage success and failure. Our scholar-athletes will learn these lessons from their coaches on the field and their professors in the classroom and from the intangible experience born from fierce competition.

Make no mistake: Our academic rigor and track record will always be paramount at New College. From our recognition as one of the top public liberal arts colleges in America and our history of producing Fulbright scholars, we know what makes us great. However, this does not mean that we are satisfied, nor will we be complacent in our pursuit of excellence.

While our identity continues to evolve, we remain focused on providing our students access to the most well-rounded college experience possible. Athletics has a permanent role in the mission. 

Go Mighty Banyans.

Richard Corcoran is interim president of New College of Florida.

Photo courtesy of New College of Florida.