USF projected to be #1 in Florida by 2012

[Papa_Bull]

In student population with 59,000!  

Some university presidents in high-growth areas already are poised to capitalize on the population projections.

"We need to think of a much more robust system of campuses," said University of Central Florida President John Hitt, whose enrollment is expected to approach 52,000 within seven years. "We haven't been able to get the funding for the things that are clear to me we must do."

During the same time period, enrollment at the University of South Florida, with campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Lakeland, is projected to reach nearly 59,000 - more than even the University of Florida, which has held the top spot for years. And Florida International University in Miami would top 50,000 students. UF, now at 48,000, is expected to grow to more than 55,000 in seven years.

http://www.gatorsports.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050325/LOCAL/203250331/1078

[bulls96go]

that's a lot of season tix holders!

[Jim Johnson]

I believe many of the students would come from our satellite campuses in St. Petersburg, Lakeland, and Sarasota/Manatee...

But my god... 59,000 is huge... and in 7 years.

The campus would be bursting at the seams.

[ChiTownBull]

is that really a good move for the university?

it seems hard to fathom that academic standards would continue to increase if enrollment swells to 59k

[Velcro]

if the increase is due to the satelitte campuses, then it wouldn't affect academic standards, since they have plenty of room to grow.

[ChiTownBull]

do the sat. campuses have the same criteria as the Tampa campus?

I just find it hard to believe an increase of over 10k students and all will have to meet the same entrance requirements of our current students.

I guess it all starts with education prior to college and from what i have heard the public school system in FL is piss poor. As i did not attend school in FL prior to college i do not know first hand but i know others who did and others who are or have been teachers in the system.

[bulls-n-beer]

Yea but think possitive.  With all thoes students think how large the student sections might get ant RAY JAY and at the SUN DOME.  

And think about the athletic fees.  10000 more people and by that time the athletic fee will be around 12 dollers thats 120000 dollers more for athletics.  

Sounds good to me.  

[Papa_Bull]

I think standards will get even tougher in future years. Genshaft is on a mission to make USF into a Top 50 Research University before 2012.

There are only about 1,500 students at the Lakeland campus. They are expected to have about 15,000, so that should make up for most of the increased enrollment:

Published Saturday, January 15, 2005

USF Officials Do Not Expect Delay

By Julia Crouse

The Ledger

LAKELAND -- The University of South Florida-Lakeland isn't sweating heat from the Florida Board of Governors over its planned 15,000-student campus in east Lakeland.

The Board of Governors has expressed growing concerns that state universities are not going through proper channels for capital projects. The 17-member panel oversees, directs and sets policies for Florida's 11 universities.

A recent lawsuit was filed accusing the state of giving the Legislature too much power over the universities.

But USF officials say they've filed the proper paperwork and gone through all the right channels to make sure the new campus will be built, said Preston Mercer, USF-Lakeland vice president and chief executive.

"Everything is on track as far as I know," Mercer said. "We're watching the situation to make sure we follow all the right procedures and protocol."

In fact, the $200 million campus already was in the works before the Board of Governors was formed, Mercer said. Voters approved an amendment to the state constitution creating the board in the 2002 election.

USF officials announced plans to build a new Polk County campus in 2001.

The only issue is whether the campus' funding will come

through the board or the Legislature, said Jeff Muir, USF associate vice president for governmental relations.

The board has a tight budget for capital projects that is spread between all the universities, not to mention the community colleges, he said. When a project doesn't make its list, many times the Legislature can find the dollars to make it happen.

"This happens all the time," Muir said.

This year, the school got $1 million from the Legislature to begin work on planning the site. It will need another $3.7 million soon to prepare the land and infrastructure for the campus.

Next year, USF will ask for $3.1 million to start designing the architecture, layout and buildings for the school.

When the buildings start to rise in 2007-08, the school will need another $55 million in funding.

According to the current timeline, the campus should open for classes in 2009, with the completion of the first phase in 2013.

Building the 15,000-student campus is right in line with the board's plans for USF-Lakeland, Muir said.

The school was directed to increase its enrollment, he said. The only way to do that was to build more classrooms and laboratories.

"If we're going to serve the students we're told to serve, they're going to have to be in buildings," he said.

USF's shared campus with Polk Community College in south Lakeland on U.S. 98 doesn't have much space for many more students, even with the addition of a new joint-use building, he said.

"We clearly needed more space," he said.

Julia Crouse can be reached at julia.crouse@theledger.com or 863-802-7536.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050115/NEWS/501150412

[Jim Johnson]

do the sat. campuses have the same criteria as the Tampa campus?

Yes, they do.  Admission standards are the same at every campus.

http://usfweb2.usf.edu/admissions/requirements.htm

http://usfweb2.usf.edu/admissions/transfer_reqs.htm

The differences lie in the cost of each credit hour...

http://usfweb2.usf.edu/pfs/tuition_cost.htm#tpa

[Papa_Bull]

Published Saturday, March 26, 2005

$3.7 Mil. Is OK'd for USF Campus

First phase of funding will include money for roads and utilities at Lakeland site.

By Julia Crouse

The Ledger

LAKELAND -- The cow grazing in Preston Mercer's future University of South Florida-Lakeland office will need to move soon.

At its Thursday meeting, the Florida board of governors approved $3.7 million for the first phase of USF-Lakeland's new 16,000-student campus. The money will pay to build roads and connect water and sewer lines to create the basic infrastructure needed to construct classrooms.

"Every time I drive by, I want to tell that cow to shoo," said Mercer, vice president of the Lakeland campus.

The campus's classrooms, labs and dormitories will sit on about 172 acres at the south-west corner of Interstate 4 and the Polk Parkway.

A preliminary drawing of the new school's layout depicts the campus as a series of diminishing circles.

A road will encircle the entire campus with access to parking lots surrounding all the buildings. A retail and housing development is planned south of the school, and a research park is envisioned on its west side.

The drawing, which represents about 1 million square feet of space, does not set the buildings' locations, heights and shapes in stone, Mercer said.

With 16,000 students expected at the Lakeland campus, most buildings will stand several stories.

Planners envision the campus to transition seamlessly into the proposed houses, shops, restaurants and research park, Mercer said.

"We want everything to flow," Mercer said.

The USF board of trustees will review and vote on the preliminary plans at its May meeting.

All in all, the campus, which will be built over the next decade or so, is expected to cost more than $200 million.

Next year, the school will need another $3.3 million for the design of the architecture, buildings and the layout of the campus. Then, $55 million worth of construction is scheduled to begin during the following two years.

"It's exciting because it takes (the new campus) out of the realm of hopeful and into the realm of reality," Mercer said.

Construction should be finished by 2013. Classes are expected to start in 2009, Mercer said.

Thursday, the board also accepted USF's proposal to establish the state's first university system.

The USF System is a multicampus system of higher education with financially autonomous, complementary campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Lakeland.

Operating as a system instead of separate schools allows the regional campuses to share USF's accreditation, educational mission and certain administrative services offered at the main Tampa campus, Mercer said.

Julia Crouse can be reached at julia.crouse@theledger.com or 863-802-7536.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050326/NEWS/503260351/1134