College smiles at budget

As is wont to happen when a state passes its budget, howls of “what happened to my money” went far and deep statewide when Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed the 2017-2018 budget.

But at Sarasota-based New College of Florida, there was joy, not sadness when the budget was dissected. That's because it includes $5.4 million in funding for the school — a 50% bump and the seed money to “embark on a transformative plan for its future,” college officials say in a release. The funds are specifically for the first phase of a plan unanimously approved by the State University System Board of Governors in November and endorsed by the Florida Legislature in May.

“This growth plan will elevate New College from a top small, public college, to a place among the very best of all American colleges and universities,” New College President Donal O'Shea says in a statement.