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USF trustees say we’ll help Poly go independent, for a price

Posted Oct 6, 2011 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Oct 7, 2011 at 08:22 AM

It’s been two months since a group of Polk County leaders complained to the statewide Board of Governors that USF was stunting USF Polytechnic’s growth.

Finally the USF trustees have responded.

We’ll help Polytechnic become an independent university, but we want something in return, they said.

Here’s the statement they approved on Thursday.

The position of the University of South Florida Board of Trustees is that we have been, and continue to be, well-served by a System that is based on delivering what’s best for our students, region, and Florida citizens.

Recent independent rankings and assessments of the USF System and its achievements, speak for themselves.

Should the Board of Governors, the Legislature and the Governor decide that, because of its unique characteristics as a polytechnic campus, USF Polytechnic should be separated as the 12th state university, USF will assist with the transition, as long as concurrent actions are taken to recognize USF’s contributions to higher education and to ensure protection of the balance of the USF System.

Such action would include making the USF System whole with respect to the transition expenses and its investments in USF Polytechnic, bringing USF funding more in line with the other top research institution in the state and ensuring that the facility and current Pharmacy funding is appropriately directed to USF Health.

This action shall not be construed as a precedent for any other request for independence of any other USF regional campus.

As a component of that transition, steps should be taken to ensure that the resources necessary to create USF Polytechnic as a stand-alone university will not be taken from the remainder of the USF System…or from any other existing state university.