Dockery: 'Disappointed' Rick Scott hasn’t talked with USF-Poly Students

Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, expressed, in a letter on Tuesday, being very disappointed that Gov. Rick Scott hasnt met with her and University of South Florida-Polytechnic students, while he did so with the primary champion of the effort to speed up the creation of the states 12th public university.

But that hasnt stopped her from continuing to push Scott to slow down the split of the Lakeland campus into an independent university by vetoing the bill.

You have the unique opportunity to create a higher-education institution that focuses on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), without violating the proper process and procedures, Dockery wrote Scott on Tuesday.

Even with a veto, you will be advancing the goal of STEM education while saving the taxpayers millions and listening to the students, the faculty and the citizens of Florida. To allow this bill to become law, you foster the dangerous precedent of undermining the BOG's constitutional authority and allowing political meddling into creating other colleges and universities. Other legislators are lining up for similar action.

Scott has until the end of the week to sign, allow the campus come into being without his signature or veto HB 1994, thus slowing its creation.

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 campus being allowed to continue with their education there as part of the Tampa-based USF program until they earn their degree.

Dockery had requested Scott meet with students who would be affected by the bill, HB 1994, pushed by Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, that would make the campus an independent university.

Alexander and Scott had a meeting April 12 on the school, with the powerful Senate Budget Committee chairman bringing to the meeting about a half-dozen business and community leaders from Polk County, including the heads of the Lakeland and Winter Haven chambers of commerce.

Prior to meeting with Alexander, Scott told reporters he is weighing the economic benefits of creating a 12th university.

Weve got to make sure we can afford it, afford a 12th university, Scott said April 12. We cant do anything to harm any of our other great universities like the University of South Florida. So youve got to look at the benefits of doing it and the costs of doing it and see if our budget can afford it.

Dockery questioned the spending on the new campus at a time when other universities are cutting back, including the University of Florida proposing to lop $3 million from the College of Engineering.

The proposal effectively eliminates the colleges Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Dockery wrote to Scott. What sense does it make to cut funding for STEM programs at an accredited, highly respected research university, which will negatively affect students, only to redirect their funds to a nonexistent, unaccredited institution with no STEM students, faculty or programs?