New College of California was founded in 1971 by John Leary, a former Gonzaga University president who believed that education should serve social justice, not just career advancement. For thirty-seven years, the college offered programs in law, humanities, and psychology with an explicitly progressive mission. It attracted students who wanted their education to be an act of conscience. Then the money ran out, the accreditation was lost, and in early 2008, New College of California ceased operations, its idealism unable to survive its financial mismanagement.
New College was headquartered in San Francisco's Mission District, a location that matched its politics. The college offered undergraduate and graduate programs that emphasized social justice, community organizing, environmental activism, and public interest law. Its School of Law specialized in public interest and social justice law. The college attracted students who might not have thrived in traditional academic settings: older learners, activists, artists, and community leaders seeking credentials that would strengthen their work. The faculty included practitioners as well as scholars, and the curriculum was designed to bridge theory and action.
By the mid-2000s, New College was in serious financial trouble. Enrollment had declined, debts had accumulated, and the college's accreditation was threatened. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges placed the college on probation, and when the college could not meet the association's requirements for financial stability and governance, accreditation was revoked. Without accreditation, the college could not offer federally recognized degrees, and without federal financial aid, it could not attract students. The college closed in early 2008, leaving students mid-degree and faculty without positions.
New College's closure was mourned by its alumni and by the broader progressive community in the Bay Area. The college had graduated lawyers who went on to represent indigent clients, therapists who served marginalized communities, and activists who organized movements for environmental and social justice. Its failure was financial, not pedagogical. The question the closure raised was whether a college built on idealism could survive in an educational marketplace that increasingly valued financial sustainability over social mission. For New College, the answer was no. But the work its graduates do continues, and the question it posed has not been answered.
New College of California was located in San Francisco's Mission District at approximately 37.76°N, 122.42°W. The campus buildings no longer serve the college. Nearest airports: SFO (KSFO, 10 nm south), Oakland (KOAK, 11 nm east).