Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, moved closer Thursday to creating an educational legacy for himself in Central Florida.
But even after success in the Senate, he still has far to go.
He will first have to convince his House counterparts to create a 12th public university in the state by making the University of South Florida-Polytechnic an independent campus after supporters of the proposal said they couldnt make long-range economic forecasts on its cost.
And even if he can get the proposal through House-Senate budget negotiations, Alexander will have to persuade Gov. Rick Scott not to veto it.
I dont know, well see, Alexander said late Thursday after an extended session in which the Senate voted 35-4to designate $39 million toward the project.
The measure included establishing a board of trustees for the campus independent of the USF administration to guide the new school forward.
We have a lot of work ahead of us," Alexander said.
During a sometimes acrimonious debate Thursday afternoon, Senate opponents of the bill said the projected cost will grow by millions of dollars the state can't afford to spend. Supporters said determining the finances accurately is exactly why the independent board of trustees is needed.
'WE HAVE A PROCESS'
The action came several hours after Scott said he would need to review the economic feasibility of breaking Polytechnic from the main campus at a time when state universities are being asked to collectively shift $400 million from the more than $800 million they hold in undesignated reserves as part of efforts to balance the state budget for the coming year.
I do think we already have a process for (an independent) Polytech, through the Board of Governors that we worked on this last fall, Scott said while meeting with reporters outside the Capitol.
So Ive not been convinced thats not the process we should go through. And, finally, Im being very cautious about adding liabilities to the state. So, can we afford a 12th university? I want to make sure we can afford it.
But Scott has been a major supporter of enabling the state to produce more science, technology, engineering and math majors, which Alexander said was supposed to be Polytechnic's focus when USF added the name to the campus.
QUESTIONING COMMITMENT
Alexander, saying he has lost faith in the USF leadership even after meeting with the university president, Judy Genshaft, earlier this week to discuss ways to ease cuts to the school's budget, views the Lakeland campus as becoming Florida's equivalent to Georgia Tech or California Polytechnic State University.
Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, joined Alexander in questioning USF's commitment to the Lakeland campus, noting that the Legislature had funded a pharmacy school for Lakeland only to have the program eventually end up at the main campus in Tampa.
Meanwhile, Sen. Jim Norman, R-Tampa, who added amendments to reduce the amount of reserves taken from the university to approximately $30 million, said Genshaft has been cooperating, but he still voted for independence. For Norman, the independent campus is an opportunity to create an educational and economic corridor that runs along Interstate 4 from Hillsborough County east.
'LET'S BE HONEST'
Speaking against Alexander's proposal, Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, said slightly more than 200 of the 1,400 full- and part-time students at the campus would be considered STEM majors, and questioned the need for a polytechnic university when only 17 percent of students across the state are studying in STEM fields.
USF will go away, but where will the (STEM) students come from? You dont have many polytechnic (students), Dockery said.
Dockery was joined in opposing the bill by Sens. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, Greg Evers, R-Crestview, andSteve Oelrich, R-Gainesville.
Fasano said for senators like himself and Alexander, who will be out of office in the fall because of term limits,future Legislatures and taxpayers will be left holding the bill on the project before any financial forecasts have been made.
Lets be honest, for your future leaders, its going to be hundreds of millions of dollars to fill the tab, Fasano said.
Last fall, the 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.
Genshaft is expected to meet with the association next week.
The $39 million approved Thursday, part of the USF funding that would have gone to the Lakeland campus, will be placed under the direction of the new board of trustees.
Also, the independent board of trustees must develop new programs in STEM fields and attract a minimum of 1,244 full-time students, with half in STEM fields.
The schools current student body will be allowed to complete their degrees as USF students.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
