Florida Senate - 2011 (NP) SR 2054 By Senator Detert 23-02516-11 20112054__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution recognizing the outstanding achievements 3 of the students, alumni, faculty, and staff of New 4 College of Florida on the occasion of its 50th 5 Anniversary Year as an institution of higher education 6 in Florida. 7 8 WHEREAS, New College was founded in 1960 and dedicated its 9 campus on the grounds of the former Charles Ringling estate on 10 Sarasota’s bayfront in 1962, and 11 WHEREAS, in dedicating the campus of New College, 12 celebrants symbolically mixed soil from Harvard, the oldest 13 institution of higher education in the nation, with that of the 14 newest, New College, and 15 WHEREAS, New College matriculated its first class of 16 students in 1964, graduating this charter class in 1967, and 17 WHEREAS, for 50 years New College has been dedicated to 18 academic excellence, remaining true to its mission to provide 19 academically talented students with an individualized and 20 challenging educational program by promoting independent study 21 and encouraging undergraduate research and close interaction 22 with faculty members, and 23 WHEREAS, New College became part of the State University 24 System of Florida in 1975, gained independence as the 11th 25 member of the system in 2001, and, as New College of Florida, 26 was designated the State Honors College for the liberal arts and 27 sciences, and 28 WHEREAS, New College of Florida has produced national and 29 international scholarship award winners and grant recipients, 30 including a Fields Medalist, a Rhodes Scholar, a British 31 Marshall Scholar, a Gates Cambridge Scholar, and numerous 32 National Science Foundation Fellows, and has one of the highest 33 per capita number of Fulbright Scholars in the nation, and 34 WHEREAS, New College of Florida has been recognized as one 35 of the nation’s leading undergraduate liberal arts and sciences 36 colleges by U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal, 37 Forbes, Money, Time, The Princeton Review, and other 38 publications, NOW, THEREFORE, 39 40 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 41 42 That the Florida Senate takes great pride in recognizing 43 the 50th Anniversary Year of New College of Florida and salutes 44 the outstanding achievements of its students, alumni, faculty, 45 and staff on this 27th day of April, 2011.