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Press Release
Patricia Okker Confirmed by Florida Board of Governors as New College's Next President
(St. Petersburg, Fla, June 23, 2021) - The Florida Board of Governors officially confirmed Patricia Okker, Ph.D., as the next president of New College of Florida at its meeting today in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Okker, who had served as dean of the College of Arts and Science at the University of Missouri since 2017, will assume the role on July 1, 2021. She succeeds President Donal O’Shea, who has led New College since 2012.
“I'm so excited to be part of this incredible community and to help New College grow and thrive," Okker said. "I'm optimistic about what is next for New College, and I look forward to leading such an impactful, inspiring institution to an even greater future in the world of higher education.”
The New College of Florida Board of Trustees selected Okker as president from a pool of 130 candidates in April, after a six-month-long search process. “Dr. Pat Okker is a skilled, effective leader who will take New College to another level of excellence in higher education,” said Board of Trustees Chair Mary Ruiz. “We are thrilled to have her at the helm, and we know she will lead with great purpose and resolve.”
Okker joined the University of Missouri as an assistant professor of English in 1990. She was promoted to full professor in 2004, a year after winning the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence. From 2005 to 2011, Okker chaired the English Department at the University of Missouri, overseeing 70 full-time faculty and a $5.5 million annual budget. She then moved to the Provost’s Office, where she developed a new model for academic program reviews of 280 degree programs and led the university’s successful 10-year accreditation team.
From 2017 to 2021, Okker served as dean of the College of Arts and Science, where she oversaw 450 full-time faculty, 135 staff and 6,500 students across 26 departments and schools with an annual operating budget of $120 million. In her role as dean, she raised the College’s graduation and retention rates by implementing a data-driven strategic plan for student success and increased the diversity of the faculty.
Okker holds three degrees in English language and literature: a bachelor’s degree with honors from Allegheny College, a master’s degree with distinction from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her teaching and research interests include 19th-century American literature, American women writers, American periodicals, career preparation in the liberal arts, and writing and wellness.
About New College of Florida
Founded in Sarasota in 1960, New College of Florida is a top-ranked public liberal arts college and the Honors College of Florida. It prepares intellectually curious students for lives of great achievement by providing a highly individualized education that integrates academic rigor with career-building experiences. New College offers 45 undergraduate majors in arts, humanities and sciences, a master’s degree program in applied data science, and certificates in technology, finance, and business.
