‘I am deeply grateful.’ New College of Florida president announces his retirement

New College of Florida has announced the upcoming retirement of Donal O’Shea, the college’s president since 2012.

O’Shea will step down at the end of the current academic year, which closes on June 30, 2021, according to a news release from the public liberal arts college.

“It has been an enormous privilege and pleasure to have served in this role for what will soon be nine years. I am deeply grateful to all who have made that possible,” he said in a prepared statement.

O’Shea, a trained mathematician, earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D from Queen’s University in Canada. He previously worked at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts for more than a decade.

During his time at New College, the president focused on greater funding and new relationships. He oversaw the formation of a dual-degree program between New College and the University of Florida, along with the launch of a Cross-College Alliance, which includes five colleges and universities in Bradenton and Sarasota.

O’Shea also secured more than $9 million in state funding, putting New College on track to increase its enrollment by 1,200 students and boost its four-year graduation rate to 80 percent by 2028, according to the news release.

The current enrollment at New College is between 800 to 850 students. The estimated cost of attending New College in the 2019-2020 school year was nearly $21,000 for Florida residents and nearly $44,000 for non-residents, the college said on its website.

New College is now tasked with finding a replacement who can successfully continue the 10-year strategic plan that was developed under O’Shea’s leadership. The plan — “Cultivating Curiosity, Unleashing Potential” — runs through 2028.

The college will gather students, faculty, alumni, trustees, foundation members and residents on a presidential search committee. A professional search firm will also help with the process.

“In choosing his successor, our task is to bring the future to realization,” Mary Ruiz, the Board of Trustees chairwoman, said in an email to the New College community.