New College of Florida has received a $1.2 million bequest from the estate of Howard and Betty Isermann, a large portion of which will be used to establish an endowed scholarship fund to benefit out-of-state students who wish to attend New College. Howard Isermann passed away in August 2017, and his wife Betty died in June 2018. The couple’s commitment to New College dates back to the 1990s, and left an indelible stamp on the campus, with endowment gifts funding various academic initiatives and scholarships, construction of the Keating Center, and the dedication of the Betty Isermann Fine Arts Building, a teaching facility and gallery on the Caples campus that opened in 1998. In 2007, they established the Isermann Science Medal program in 2007, which provides an opportunity for academically talented first-year students from outside the state of Florida to get hands-on research experience in mathematics and the natural sciences.

New College of Florida