Rick Scott: USF-Poly Split May be a Chance to Reinvent State Education

The decision to split the University of South Florida-Polytechnic campus in Lakeland into an independent university comes down to a chance to reinvent the state university system versus costs, Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday.

Scott said Wednesday morning he was still weighing the impact of allowing the University of South Florida-Polytechnic campus in Lakeland to become independent this summer.

Scott has until the end of the week to sign HB 1994 for the university to come into existence on July 1, allow the campus to come into being without his signature or veto the bill, thus slowing the creation of the states 12th public university.

Speaking on WFLA 100.7-FM in Tallahassee, Scott outlined the choices as he sees them.

Think about how many companies out there that have basically reinvented themselves, there is not many, Scott said. Lowes, the home improvement store, it was more like a lumber yard. They have reinvented themselves.

We want to move our higher ed to the concept of science, technology, engineering and math. Is it going to be easy to do with the existing universities or to start from scratch and say no if, ands or buts about it, that is all you do'?

Scott then summed up the argument against the split.

It costs money, Scott said.

Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, sent Scott a letter on Tuesday expressing her disappointment that he hasnt met with her and University of South Florida-Polytechnic students, yet he sat down with Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, the primary champion of the effort to speed up the creation of the states 12th public university.

Last fall, the Florida Board of Governors set a list of benchmarks for the polytechnic campus to be spun off into an independent university, including receiving accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Accreditation typically takes three to five years.

If approved, the break would be effective July 1, with students now at the Lakeland being allowed to continue with their education there as part of the Tampa-based USF program until they earn their degree.