THE BILL ITSELF
SR 1782
New College Day
Florida Senate - 2026 (NP) SR 1782 By Senator Gruters 22-02352-26 20261782__
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Senate Resolution
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A resolution recognizing February 4, 2026, as “New
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College Day” in Florida.
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WHEREAS, New College of Florida is designated as the
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residential liberal arts honors college of this state and is the
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only public college or university in Florida with the sole,
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distinctive mission of providing a liberal arts undergraduate
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education of the highest caliber to its students, and
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WHEREAS, New College of Florida’s Logos + Techne General
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Education Curriculum combines classical education with next
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generation skills to create a culture of intellectually curious
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students pursuing academic excellence and seeking a better
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understanding of the world within an educational environment of
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free speech and academic freedom, and
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WHEREAS, the New College of Florida academic system rewards
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risk-taking and ambition through its individualized contract
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system; develops skills in independent study and initiative
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through tutorials, independent study projects, and a required
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senior thesis; and creates students who do not passively receive
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information, but who engage, innovate, and learn to ask the
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right questions, and
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WHEREAS, New College of Florida has solidified its status
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as one of the nation’s premier public liberal arts institutions,
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having been ranked the top public liberal arts college by
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Washington Monthly 3 years in a row, and the top public college
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for value and small size by The Princeton Review, and
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WHEREAS, New College of Florida continues to be recognized
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as a national leader in Fulbright Scholarship recipients and has
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been named the best Hidden Gem College in Florida by College
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Raptor, and the No. 1 liberal arts college in Florida for 2026
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and No. 10 among all public liberal arts colleges in the country
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by U.S. News & World Report, and
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WHEREAS, New College of Florida set a record in fall 2025
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with a total enrollment of more than 900 students for the first
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time in the college’s history, and
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WHEREAS, to support this unprecedented growth and maintain
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its elite academic standards, the college recruited 65 new
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world-class faculty members, including prestigious visiting
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professors and presidential scholars-in-residence, thereby
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ensuring the preservation of New College’s best-in-state 8-to-1
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student-to-faculty ratio, and
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WHEREAS, an independent economic impact analysis reveals
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that New College of Florida has become a powerful engine for
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regional prosperity, with an economic impact of more than $200
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million per year, and
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WHEREAS, New College of Florida’s acceptance into the
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National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics as a full
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member of the Sun Conference launched an athletics program that
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has quickly grown to 24 sports, and
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WHEREAS, New College of Florida pursues the simple belief
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of teaching students how to think, not what to think, and in an
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age of rapid technological change, global competition, and
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information overload, New College knows students’ ability to
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reason, question, write, and analyze is relevant and essential,
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NOW, THEREFORE,
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Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
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That February 4, 2026, is designated as “New College Day”
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in Florida in recognition of New College of Florida’s
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contributions as Florida’s residential honors college and an
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outstanding institution of higher education.