New College trustees approve 2025–26 preliminary budget, capital requests, regulation updates and property actions

The New College of Florida Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a package of budget, capital and policy actions that trustees said aim to support rapid enrollment growth and campus improvements.

Trustees voted to adopt the college’s preliminary operating budget for 2025–26, which administration and staff said reflects increased enrollment and related revenue gains. Miss Fitzpatrick, presenting the budget, said anticipated increases include $10.3 million in ENG funding and roughly $5.5 million in tuition and fee revenue. She told trustees that performance‑based funding was tentatively calculated at $9.1 million and remains subject to final Board of Governors action.

The board also approved the college’s 2025–26 legislative budget requests. Those items include funding for campus safety and security, $620,000 for a proposed master’s in educational leadership (a $120,000 start‑up request and $500,000 recurring), and fixed capital outlay requests to continue construction of what trustees referred to as the Rice Building. Miss Fitzpatrick said the college had received an initial tranche of just over $5 million for the Rice Building and plans additional requests that would leave an estimated remaining need of roughly $63.4 million to complete the 75,000‑square‑foot project.

The trustees accepted several regulation amendments required to align campus policy with Board of Governors (BOG) guidance. David Brickhouse, vice president for legal affairs, told the board the procurement regulation was amended to match an updated BOG rule and to change the capitalization threshold to the amount set by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Trustees also replaced the college’s discrimination and harassment regulation to conform to current Title IX procedures and to codify the institution’s complaint and response processes.

After discussion and public comment, the board approved an updated regulation on textbook and instructional materials affordability (regulation 4‑2003). Brickhouse said the BOG expects institutions to require faculty to list required course materials and to maintain a searchable database; he told trustees BOG staff had clarified the requirements apply to materials that instructors require of students and are not intended to cover student‑generated or mutually agreed reading lists for ISPs or tutorials.

The board granted tenure to Dr. Mons Holden, described by Provost David Rohrabacher as an accomplished scholar in artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing who had previously held tenure at the University of Colorado.

Trustees also approved the New College Foundation Inc.’s FY24 financial audit and its FY25–26 budget, and they voted to authorize acceptance by the foundation of a $2.5 million grant from the DSF Charitable Foundation to design and build a contemplative center on donated foundation land. President Richard Corcoran said foundation and campus approvals would follow and projected the project could break ground next year if approvals proceed.

Finally, the board supported a recommendation that the New College Foundation enter a donation agreement to transfer approximately 180 acres known as Tidy Island to Manatee County while negotiating continued access and research rights for New College faculty and students.

Most motions passed by voice vote; trustees recorded little formal opposition during roll calls. Several trustees asked administration to ensure that implementation of new regulations and capital projects preserved New College’s tutorial and ISP structures and protected faculty and student academic practices.