Florida Board of Governors

03/20/2012

MEDIA ADVISORY: Confirmation Hearing of New College of Florida's New President

MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 20, 2012
Media Contacts: Jake Hartvigsen, New College of Florida, jhartvigsen@ncf.edu, 941-650-6043

New College of Florida and the Florida Board of Governors will hold an informal press conference in Jacksonville on Thursday, after the Board is expected to formally confirm Dr. Donal O'Shea of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., as New College's next president.

Attending the informal press conference will be Dr. O'Shea, selected recently by New College of Florida’s Board of Trustees; Board of Trustees Chair Robert M. Johnson; and State University System Chancellor Frank T. Brogan. New College is one of the 11 public institutions in the State University System of Florida.

The press gathering is scheduled to be held approximately 15 minutes after adjournment of the regular Board of Governors meeting. Both the confirmation hearing and the press gathering afterward will be held in the Ballroom, West Building of Student Union Complex, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, in Jacksonville. The press conference will start at approximately 1 p.m. – or about 15 minutes after adjournment of the Board of Governors’ regular meeting, which is scheduled to end at 12:45 p.m. For the agenda order and other details about the Board of Governors' meeting: www.flbog.edu/pressroom/meeting_items.php?id=131&agenda=591.

Members of the media covering Dr. O'Shea's confirmation process during the Board of Governors’ regular meeting can follow live web stream or call-in audio line provided by the Florida Board of Governors at each meeting. See access info posted at www.flbog.edu. Please note that the live feed is available only for the full Board meeting and confirmation process. Officials from New College and Dr. O’Shea will be making comments as well during the confirmation process.

O'Shea's appointment was approved by the New College of Florida Board of Trustees on March 10 and must be ratified by the Florida Board of Governors.

Media planning to attend the press gathering after the Board meeting are asked to please send an email to jhartvigsen@ncf.edu so that New College can ensure there is adequate space to accommodate all.

An internationally acclaimed mathematician, Dr. O’Shea has been Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Mount Holyoke College, a top 25 ranked private liberal arts women’s college, since 1998. During his 14-year tenure as dean, he has diversified the faculty, increased external funding, introduced post-tenure review, improved leave policies, made teaching load equitable, established professional programs and shepherded creation of a fiber optic network linking the Five Colleges Consortium in western Massachusetts. He has also introduced a first-year program to support new students in their transition to college, internationalized the curriculum, formed a group of presidents and deans of women’s universities around the world, started collaborative programs among northeast liberal arts colleges for department chair development, overseen four building projects (including a $32 million science construction and renovation project) and consolidated science and arts programming and planning.

About the State University System of Florida: The State University System of Florida is governed by a 17-member Board of Governors, a constitutional body and led by appointed public servants. The System is comprised of 11 institutions with a total enrollment of more than 329,000 students, making it the second-largest public university system in the nation in terms of enrollment (some states have more than one university system). The Florida Constitution (Article IX, Section 7) was amended by the state's voters in 2002 to establish a statewide system of governance for all Florida public universities. As a result, the Florida Board of Governors was created in 2003 to oversee the State University System of Florida. Responsibilities include defining the distinctive mission of each institution and ensuring the well-planned coordination and operation of the System. The Board’s 17 members include 14 appointed by the Governor, with three serving by virtue of their designations (a faculty member, a Florida Student Association student representative, and the Florida Commissioner of Education). The Board of Governors appoints a Chancellor who serves as the chief executive and administrative officer of the State University System. For more, see www.flbog.edu.