04.14.06
a good value school
Sarasota college earns ‘top value’ reputation
– reported by the Miami Herald
[snip]
New College, a liberal arts school on Sarasota Bay, defies almost every trend in public higher education. Last week, the school was named the nation’s top value among public universities by The Princeton Review college guide.
As one of Florida’s 11 public universities, New College is grouped with Florida State, the University of Central Florida and other mega-campuses that rank among the nation’s largest. But aside from low in-state tuition, it bears little resemblance to its sister schools, which increasingly focus on graduate programs, growth and what leaders call ”workforce development” — preparing students for jobs that fuel the economy.
[snip]
Since the beginning, the school has had an ”open curriculum,” meaning no required classes. The theory was that motivated and smart students would thrive if they designed their academic program and worked on contracts with professors — receiving detailed evaluations instead of grades.
[snip]
