Our History and Mission

The New College was founded in 1971 as an independent college at The University of Alabama. Its purpose was two-fold: to create an opportunity for a highly individualized education that would enable students to draw from the resources of the entire University and to serve as an experimental unit with the expectation of exporting successful innovations to other sectors of the University.

New College’s institutional ties to the University have changed over the years. Still, the founding principles of New College continue to guide us in our mission to, and service within and beyond, the University.

Learn more about our history and mission.

Celebrate With Us

During the 2021 calendar year, New College will be celebrating 50 years of academic innovations and commitments to the many constituencies that constitute our community. As the pandemic curtails our ability to nurture ties to one another through person-to-person encounters, this website will serve the community as an important place of meeting.

On these pages, you will find accounts of past activities, reflections, and works by students, staff, and faculty both past and present, news about our on-going engagements in the spheres of creative endeavor, environmental stewardship, and the welfare of society. Please meet us here often and join us in celebrating New College’s 50th Anniversary!