It started with a letter.
Less than four months ago, a group of community leaders from Polk County sent a letter to the governing board for the State University System imploring the group to consider creating a 12th state university.
Naturally, the 12th university would come from their own backyard – the University of South Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland, which is in the process of building a new campus and promises an emphasis on science and technology.
The letter came a few weeks after State University System Chancellor Frank Brogan told the News Service of Florida the system wanted to eventually add another university to its 11-school roster, noting the rise in demand for bachelor’s degrees.
But few expected that USF Polytechnic would so quickly wage a full-scale campaign to convince the Board of Governors to approve the plan – less than four months after the detailed proposal emerged. The Board of Governors is poised to discuss and vote on whether to allow USF Polytechnic to become an independent university on Wednesday.
The proposal to split USF Polytechnic from its mother ship – the main University of South Florida campus in Tampa – has proved divisive, splitting faculty, the community, and legislators, who will play a role in approving the 12th university.
Supporting the USF Polytechnic split are a number of prominent Polk County officials, from the mayors of Winter Haven and Lake Wales, to Publix Board of Directors Vice Chairman Barney Barnett.
But perhaps the most influential USF Polytechnic cheerleader is Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, who has been a longtime advocate for USF Polytechnic, was key to securing funding for a new campus, and oversees the Senate’s budget committee. That gives him considerable control over funding for universities the next legislative session, and could play a role in the Board of Governors’ decision.
Alexander told the Board of Governors at its September meeting that USF Polytechnic’s ties to the much larger Tampa main campus are holding the university back. For instance, Alexander said, a request to approve 15 new degrees for the Polytechnic campus was rejected and only three were approved.
“It goes on and on,” Alexander said. “The mass of USF is focused around programs. This new alternative approach is just fundamentally at odds with…USF.”
Alexander said it made sense to focus on a polytechnic school that emphasizes science and technology and can better link students with the type of jobs that are in demand in the private sector.
“To me, this is a fairly small step,” Alexander told the board, and one in which the “costs will be very minimal.”
Those opposed to the split cite a number of reasons, from questioning the financial viability of adding another university during a time when existing universities are struggling from deep budget cuts, to opposing the political meddling that has pushed what should be a methodical examination into a lightning-quick decision.
In an undated letter sent to the State University System Board of Governors, Preston Mercer, a biotechnology professor at USF Polytechnic who used to head up the university when it was called USF-Lakeland, sharply criticized the plan to make Polytechnic its own independent university.
“I can say unequivocally that the idea of an independent campus caught the community by surprise,” Mercer wrote in the letter, adding that speculation focused on whether the push to go independent was “politically” driven.
Mercer said the process is too rushed, and urged the board to consider slowing the pace.
But Alexander, who is approaching his last year as a senator, is pushing for the decision to happen this year. He has made the rounds in his district selling community leaders on the idea.
But not all lawmakers are sold on the idea. Though the Board of Governors must approve the decision, lawmakers and the governor must also be on board to approve statutory and budget changes.
Some lawmakers have asked for an audit of USF Polytechnic’s finances after a letter by students at the school questioned spending at the university, and have cast doubt the state can afford a 12th university.
For instance, money would be needed to build out the campus, and the funding for new classroom construction has dried up in recent years, leaving most universities with only enough money to pay for basic maintenance.
The last time a new university was added to the system was New College in 2001, which also used to be tied to USF. Before that, the system added Florida Gulf Coast University in 1997.
The Tampa Tribune notes that when FGCU became a university, it was only after an exhaustive report by an independent consultant scrutinized student demand and public hearings were held.
So far, the only report assessing USF Polytechnic’s bid to become independent is one produced by the university itself. That report is central to the university’s pitch to the board on Wednesday.
USF-Lakeland was started in 1988. It shares a campus with Polk State College, though plans are underway to build a separate campus for USF Polytechnic.
Three years ago, lawmakers approved a plan to re-brand USF-Lakeland into USF Polytechnic, with a promised emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees.
The effort to make Polytechnic independent coincides with a push to graduate more students with STEM degrees that has even captured the attention of Gov. Rick Scott.
While USF Polytechnic still offers traditional liberal arts and social sciences courses the plan is to offer significantly more STEM degrees than liberal arts degrees going forward.
By Lilly Rockwell
