Inspiring Stories

Jack is a New College Foundation board member and expert on board governance. “We are intellectually curious people. New College students are that way, the professors are that way, and the board is that way,” Jack says. The couple have been avid supporters of the college since they began attending New Topics lectures five years ago. 

Julie Morris has been involved with New College for more than five decades. Her love of the environment blossomed here, both in her studies as a biology/ecology major, and her experience of the college’s setting.

Bob Freedman has devoted his legal career to representing Indigenous groups in Canada. He’s equally devoted to New College. Freedman serves on New College’s Alumni Association’s board of directors, as a member of the executive committee and sits on its Legacy Advisory Council.

Gerry Ronkin’s father owned a printing company in Woodmere Long Island, the town where Gerry grew up. Along with a fierce work ethic, his father taught him the value of giving back to the community.

Evan Teal and Kaithleen Coñoepan are New College’s newest Fulbright Scholarship finalists.

Alum Alex Koutelias ‘15, a graduate of New College’s International and Area studies, received both an academic scholarship and a student research and travel grant—the latter to study at The Hague in the Netherlands for a semester.

Jayne Gardiner received a Faculty Development Grant to support her summer research and teaching activities, which included supervising three New College thesis students in conducting field-based projects that involved tagging sharks in Sarasota and Terra Ceia Bays. She also worked in the Marine Biology lab with two additional students and expanded upon their thesis research for potential publication.

Andrew and Judith Economos empower the full spectrum of arts and sciences in a lifetime dedicated to philanthropy.

While working on a construction materials recycling and waste diversion project, New College environmental studies graduate Jesse White developed the concept of architectural salvage focused on recycling and reuse through a retail store.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity empowers students to experience life in the United States and lays a solid foundation for their future endeavors.