Lakeland Polytechnic talks to remove associations with USF

[willia33]

Per this TBO article, it mentioned going independent as a means of faster growth.

http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2011/jul/27/lakeland-leaders-want-separate-usf-campus-ar-246704/

[Paisa el Toro]

I don't recall the push to remove associations from various satellite campuses with other state universities being as strong as it is for USF. Is it just my overanalysis, but USF lost Ft. Meyers, which turned into FGCU, and New College, and it seems like USF-Tampa just rolls over when political forces make waves to remove the USF affiliation from its satellites. I sure hope USF gets reimbursed for those start-up costs. 

[bullsp89]

The current Student Body President is my old roommate/fraternity brother and he told me he would be surprised if they didn't split off.  Apparently Rick Scott vetoed additional funding for every constructions project (including taking $10 million away from our new Interdisciplinary Sciences building) at every public university in the state except for USF Polytechnic.  Leading him to believe that it's only a matter of time before the split happens. On the brighter side USF St. Pete was also on option to become its own university and if Polytechnic goes then St. Pete stays and St. Pete is a much more valuable campus to the USF Family in terms of the Oceanography research we do out of there and our sailing team.

[ZeroBullChip]

I don't understand the whole USF system strategy.  It seems flawed.  Why build a school that only wants to break off and compete against you?  Perhaps that is my paranoid mind.

[outrunner]

I don't understand the whole USF system strategy.  It seems flawed.  Why build a school that only wants to break off and compete against you?  Perhaps that is my paranoid mind.

Why allow the satellites to break off and become new state universities when we (Florida) are already stretched thin?

If this goes through, it only demonstrates more that the State has absolutely no plan for the university system.  Its just like giving every university a medical school.

[Rizman]

I don't recall the push to remove associations from various satellite campuses with other state universities being as strong as it is for USF. Is it just my overanalysis, but USF lost Ft. Meyers, which turned into FGCU, and New College, and it seems like USF-Tampa just rolls over when political forces make waves to remove the USF affiliation from its satellites. I sure hope USF gets reimbursed for those start-up costs. 

Ft. Myers USF campus is different than New College.  New College was around when USF had a Ft. Myers campus. 

[Jihme]

I don't understand the whole USF system strategy.  It seems flawed.  Why build a school that only wants to break off and compete against you?  Perhaps that is my paranoid mind.

they already do - there are separate enrollment processes and applications.

[Paisa el Toro]

I don't recall the push to remove associations from various satellite campuses with other state universities being as strong as it is for USF. Is it just my overanalysis, but USF lost Ft. Meyers, which turned into FGCU, and New College, and it seems like USF-Tampa just rolls over when political forces make waves to remove the USF affiliation from its satellites. I sure hope USF gets reimbursed for those start-up costs. 

Ft. Myers USF campus is different than New College.  New College was around when USF had a Ft. Myers campus. 

I understand that. I believe New College was a pre-existing institution that was taken into the USF umbrella while it got its finances straight. As soon as it didn that, it waived "bye-bye" to USF. I second ZBC's sentiment, why start or even take a fiscally weak institution under your wings, only to have it turn around and declare independence to compete against you. It doesn't seem like a sound business strategy. Is it because I'm looking at it from a business standpoint rather than an altruistic "education for the good of all" standpoint?

[ZeroBullChip]

Don't let the institutional aspect fool you, universities are very much businesses that compete against each other for the same pool of resources.  Hate to admit it, but I regret not voting for Betty Castor.  She is a great lady.  She is still very much pro USF.  A couple years ago shes even came up to me and said hi, just because I was wearing bulls gear in a restaurant in Ybor.

[Oldsmobull]

JD Alexander runs Alico corp.  Alico donated land for FGCU so Alico could leverage the property Alico owns around FGCU to make some bucks.  JD wants to do the same thing in Lakeland with property around USF Poly campus.  Nice he was able to squeeze the millions for Lakeland campus last legislative session when no other state university got near as much.  Having the 12th independent state university run by locals in Lakeland gives JD and pals more freedom to swing their elbows without USF getting in their way.  USF shouldn't give up Lakeland.

http://www.alicoinc.com/Jan2208.asp