Palm Court Podcast

Our hosts, Mike Palmer, Megan Cytron, and Grant Balfour are joined by Harrison Bender, Tom Ronca, and Suzanne Clayton in a conversation about movies, the Oscars, and their connections to film at New College of Florida. The group reminisces about their time at New College, sharing stories about the film series, the campus theater (TA), and local movie theaters like the Teatro. Harrison, Tom, and Su...

In this week's episode of the Palm Court Podcast, we welcome an alum and a dedicated “civilian” to discuss recent events at New College of Florida and their work on broader threats to academic freedom in Florida and beyond.  Our first guest is Sophia Brown, a 2023 New College graduate who served as Editor-in-Chief of New College’s student newspaper The Catalyst during a tumultuous period on campus...

This fascinating episode of the Palm Court Podcast takes listeners on a journey through David Goldfarb's experiences at New College of Florida and his life and career since then. As an alum who did not finish his degree at New College, Dave provides a unique perspective into the experimental nature of the school in the late 80s and early 90s. The conversation begins with Goldfarb reminiscing about...

Megan Cytron, Grant Balfour, and Mike Palmer open the show reflecting on their recent conversation about the changes happening at New College. We then dive into a discussion Mike and Grant had with fellow New College alums Troy Winfrey and Joanne Dramko back in early March of 2023 We reminisce about the unique academic philosophy at New College that emphasized critical thinking and students direct...

Mike Palmer, Grant Balfour, and Megan Citron open up by discussing an interview Mike originally recorded in early March 2023 with three fellow New College of Florida alumni - Dr. Mark Sanders, Dr. Nicholas Tampio, and Dr. Daniel Harrison. The original interview took place shortly after major changes were announced at New College, including new conservative appointees to the Board of Trustees and t...

Lynne Buchanan is a New College alum and the daughter of beloved New College professor Doug Berggren and his wife Barbara who also worked with students at the school. Lynne joins us to share stories about growing up with Professor Berggren, one of the school's founding faculty members. We celebrate him as a brilliant, engaging teacher who promoted critical thinking and interdisciplinary perspectiv...

The Palm Court Podcast welcomes recent New College of Florida graduates Sarah Cooper and Leo Muñoz. As members of the last "normal" class before the DeSantis takeover, they reflect on New College's academic freedom and close-knit community.  Sarah and Leo fondly recall engaging in late-night debates about coursework, attending Walls in Palm Court, and designing adventurous tutorials tailored to th...

Steve Jacobson, a New College alum from the 1970s, joins Mike, Grant, and Megan to share his experiences and unique perspectives on the small liberal arts college in Sarasota, Fl. Steve reflects on arriving at New College in the early 70s and bonding with his longtime friend and roommate David Goldman. He shares fun stories about campus life back then, like playing football in flooded fields, buil...

Brian Cody joins the show to talk about his experiences in student government, academics, and campus life in the early 2000s at New College. Joined by his contemporary, Gwen Bright, Brian regales us with tales of navigating campus politics including his "barefoot-in-a-suit" moments. We learn how he helped bring WiFi to campus, helped effect New College's independence from USF, and participated in...

Gwendolyn Bright and Dr. Christa Matrone join the pod in a conversation about their experiences at our small liberal arts alma mater that's been thrust into the Culture Wars. We discuss New College's emphasis on student autonomy, self-governance, and its close-knit campus community. Gwen and Christa reflect on how the freedom to explore diverse interests and chart their own academic paths had a pr...

Shannon Ingles and Jinx Ashforth join hosts Mike Palmer, Grant Balfour, and Megan Cytron to share their experiences at New College of Florida in the late 1990s and early 2000s. We begin with flashbulb memories of being on campus for 9/11 which was the topic of Shanon's thesis. Then we reflect on the progressive, improvisational culture we knew before the recent "hostile takeover" by the state gove...

In which Dr. Anderson Brown discusses with Mike and Grant how discovering an alternative educational system can transform a life, and how lessons learned at New College set a foundation for inquiries into AI, philosophy, and the I Ching (broken beer bottles strictly optional).  Anderson Brown’s Humanities, a YouTube channel of lectures.  Joel Biroco’s Introduction to the Yijing.  

In which Steve Waldman, coder, economics writer, and “Danish libertarian,” discusses with Mike how things could have gone differently 30 years ago, how they could have gone differently in 2023, and how they’ll probably go differently from the best-laid plans now and into the future. Right? Left? “The lessons of New College are that the communities aren’t that flat.”  We get cosmological as we go d...

In which three New College alums from the 1990s -- Mike Palmer, Megan Cytron, and Grant Balfour – share their experiences at a small liberal-arts school on the Gulf Coast of Florida, and consider the fate of the experiment in the face of a top-down “hostile takeover” by the state government. We reflect on New College as a cultural movement and set goals for what the podcast can accomplish. Pres. G...