New College Prepares to Celebrate 50th Anniversary

It's official: New College of Florida has been educating some of the nation's brightest minds for 50 years.

New College students have always been party-prone, and they don't intend to let this anniversary go by without a bang.

The highlight of the weekend will be the Sarasota Orchestra's free concert on the bay at 7pm on Saturday, February 12. The performance will feature the premiere of a composition by New College alumnus Silas Durocher, appropriately titled This is Not a Quiet Celebration. Conductor laureate Paul Wolfe will conduct a movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 40, reprising his performance of the same piece at the dedication of the campus in 1962. Cover band Beatlemania will follow, and a fireworks show over the bay will cap the evening off. Like most of the weekend's happenings, this event is open to the public.

As always, New College will be mixing fun and education, offering live music and art shows alongside mini-classes and panels. The weekend is filled with too many festivities to list each individually, but here are a few of the highlights:

Friday

• 10am: Panels: “Harvesting Our Future: Environmental Challenges for Our Fisheries” and “Documentary Films: Are They the Future?”
• 1pm:Spontaneous dancers
• 1:30pm: Mini-classes taught by New College professors on literature, biology, anthropology, philosophy, psychology and political science
• 4pm: Student musical performances by the New College chorus and student acapella band Acapellago
• 6:30pm: 50^th Anniversary Tribute Dinner at the Ritz-Carlton. $250 per person.

Saturday

• 10am: Children’s’ activities: bounce house, face painting, music and more
• 10am: Panels: “Reinventing America’s Place in the World” and “The Changing Nature of Hollywood and TV”
• 11am: Live bands, student craft and club tables, WSLR live broadcast
• 12:30pm: Premiere of The New College Movie, followed by Q&A with filmmaker alumnus Josh Tickell
• 1:30pm: More mini-classes, on literature, mathematics, philosophy and history
• 4pm: Experimental performances and presentations by recent graduates
• 5pm: Sunset Reception Catered by Mattison’s: $10 in advance, $15 at door, plus cash bar.

All events listed are open to the public and, with the exception of the two dinners, free.

Evan Axelrad is one of many alums flying across the country for the event. He says that although many of his closest friends won’t be there, he’s looking forward to getting back in touch with the feeling of the place itself.

“I haven’t been back to campus since graduating,” he adds, “but New College has a really special place in my heart.”

Find the full schedule here. For more information, go to www.50th.ncf.edu.