Tribune Editorial about USF

[Drewski]

Make sure you click the link and read the responses to this article at the bottom of the page....

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/02/bz-usf-strategy-for-top-50-status-takes-back-seat-/

When it comes to focus, the leadership of the University of South Florida has Marty Feldman eyes.

You know Feldman, the late comedic actor with eyes that skewed in different directions.

So it is with USF.

The university says it wants to be a top-50 research university, but its strategy runs all over West Central Florida, generating little confidence the university can achieve its target in a timely manner.

USF President Judy Genshaft's recent threat to build an on-campus football stadium is but the latest example of a university with scatter-shot priorities.

A couple of years back, former Gov. Jeb Bush made Genshaft choose between state funding for a research park near USF-Tampa or money for a student center on its new Sarasota campus. She chose Sarasota.

It's easy to see how a research park could create synergies that would help USF attain top-50 status. But growing a new campus in Sarasota, which already has a state university called New College? And remember this: New College used to be part of USF until hometown lawmakers sought and won its independence in 2001.

More recently, Genshaft announced plans to create a polytechnic university in Lakeland that will compete with the main campus for limited capital funds.

How will growing a new campus in Lakeland help USF become a top-50 research university? It won't. But USF has another strategy, too.

Genshaft wants to increase her pull in Tallahassee by getting USF in the hometowns of more lawmakers. She often boasts that USF campuses are represented by a quarter of the Florida Legislature.

What this means is that while the university says it wants to grow depth, it's focused on growing reach to build political pull.

So how's the strategy working?

USF-St. Petersburg, the university's first satellite campus, is now independently accredited and has little interest in helping USF-Tampa achieve its goal of joining the elite Association of American Universities, which attracts the big research dollars. Indeed, when Genshaft tried to cajole St. Pete librarians into meeting AAU standards, they turned her down.

Now the Sarasota and Lakeland campuses, even before they reach adolescence, want independent status, too. Independent accreditation will allow them to largely set their own agenda, do their own hiring, set their own admissions standards and run their own fundraising.

How does growing satellite campuses help USF reach its goal of being a top-50 research university that attracts more top researchers, more seven-figure research grants, more spin-off companies and more top-flight students?

It doesn't.

If USF is serious about attaining its top-50 goal in any meaningful timeframe, Genshaft and the university's board of trustees should reconsider their decision to spend limited construction dollars on satellite campuses that seek independence. The strategy has shown little return, and siphons scarce funds away from the university's primary goal.

Instead, USF should aggressively refocus its eyes on the prize of becoming a top-50 research university - soon.

Anything less will shortchange this community.

[alumna1210]

I loved some of the responses more than the actual article.

[USFMikeB]

There are good points made on both sides of the issue between the story and the responses.