Sen. Fasano: Goodman must go in wake of audit showing mismanagement and bullying

Posted Apr 26, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Apr 27, 2012 at 02:58 PM

Last year, state Sens. Mike Fasano and Paula Dockery called for a financial audit of USF Polytechnic, amid accusations of mismanagement and nepotism involving then-Chancellor Marshall Goodman.

Fasano called for Goodman to be fired when Goodman essentially refused to do an independent audit. (There were questions about whether USF President Judy Genshaft could investigate because USF
Poly was, by statute, financially independent from USF in Tampa.)

Now, after USF decided to act on specific ethics complaints in February and found evidence of financial mismanagement under Goodman, Fasano says Goodman must go.

Goodman was dismissed from his position in December, but he stayed on the USF payroll, making more than $270,000 a year.

“It is time for the University of South Florida to make a clean break from former chancellor Goodman,” Fasano wrote in a statement.

“The fact that he is lurking in the shadows, all while the legislature and the governor have approved the creation of Florida Polytechnic, is troubling. Goodman, who is earning $200,000 while on leave, and doing nothing to earn that money, continues to be a drag on the school.

“Unless the Board of Governors makes a clean sweep and permanently cuts ties with this individual, the reputation of the University of South Florida will suffer, and Florida Polytechnic will forever have a pall cast over it.”

Goodman was dismissed in December. The USF Poly faculty had voted that they had “no confidence” in Goodman’s leadership; he’d been pushing to break Poly away from the main USF campus.

That break is happening now after the Legislature went along with state Sen. JD Alexander’s insistent proposal to shut down USF Poly and create a new, independent university in Lakeland.

“The investigative report that has come back has detailed the misuse of dollars that may go beyond the university,” Fasano said.

“It is quite possible that law enforcement may have to become involved to further investigate the mismanagement of these public dollars.  It is my concern that if he is involved with the new school in any way the trouble that befell USF Polytech may be replicated at the new school.”

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‘You Have To Fall In Love With Your Work’ [Run - Don’t Walk - To See ‘Jiro Dreams Of Sushi’]

Posted Apr 25, 2012 by Jeff Houck

Updated Apr 25, 2012 at 01:12 PM

Had a chance to watch an amazing documentary yesterday on Jiro Ono, the most famous sushi chef in Tokyo.

I’ll let the trailer info take it from here:

For most of his 85 years, Jiro has been perfecting the art of making sushi. He works from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish; meticulously train his employees; and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. Although his restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro only seats ten diners, it is a phenomenon in Tokyo that has won the prestigious 3-Star Michelin review, making him the oldest Michelin chef alive.

“Jiro Dreams of Sushi” chronicles Jiro’s life as both an unparalleled success in the culinary world, and as a loving yet complicated father of two.

Jiro’s incomparable work ethic is the driving force behind “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” but the heart of this film is how that ambition has influenced his sons’ lives as well. Eldest son Yoshikazu is the heir apparent to the sushi empire, but Jiro is not ready to retire or to relinquish any of his responsibilities. With a famous father guiding and critiquing every decision, Yoshikazu is unable to reach his fullest potential. However, he is proud to learn from a true sushi master, thus revealing the inner struggle of how a dutiful son shows reverence to his father yet control over his own domain.

“Jiro Dreams of Sushi” explores the passion required to run and maintain a legendary sushi restaurant, and one son’s journey to eventually take his father’s place at the head of the culinary dynasty.

The movie is playing at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Thursday at the exquisite Tampa Theater in downtown Tampa.

Want a sample? Here’s the trailer:

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What might have been for USF Poly

Posted Apr 25, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Apr 25, 2012 at 11:46 AM

When Gov. Rick Scott signed SB 1994 creating Florida Polytechnic University and shutting down USF Polytechnic, he did something else.

He shut down USF Poly’s progress toward separate accreditation, a key step toward independence in the plan approved by the state Board of Governors in November, the plan that was trashed last week.

An official with the accrediting agency, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Ann Chard, said in an email to USF on Monday that USF Poly was very close.

“Your application was a good one and yes, I definitely agree that you could easily have responded and been well on your way to separate accreditation. It was a good application,” Chard wrote.

“You did a good job under difficult circumstances,” she added, also saying she was “at a loss for words” at what has happened, though not surprised.

The independent Florida Polytechnic University will start from scratch. SACS officials have said that it will take at least four years, and possibly more, for it to gain accreditation – which it must have before students and faculty can receive any kind of federal aid or research funding.

Chard’s email was forwarded to the USF Poly students, faculty and staff with a note from USF’s Judith Ponticell on Monday.

Ponticell wrote: “An application is based on the work of an institution – if the work is not there, the application can’t be written, let alone be successful. I know today was a difficult day and that times are uncertain, but I want to be sure that you remember it is your work, commitment and contributions that made that application possible.”

The difficulty she was referring to was the news that it costs several million more to run Poly than it will receive from the state in 2012-13 for a plan to “teach out” Poly’s students as the campus moves toward extinction.

USF officials aren’t saying yet whether there will be layoffs. Some students, faculty and staff will be able to move over to the new Poly, but no one knows, who, when or how that will happen at this point.

Not sure if it helps, but at least the folks at USF Poly – or whatever it will be called – know how close they were.

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USF fields 5 top-tier Fulbright Scholars

Posted Apr 24, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Apr 28, 2012 at 05:25 PM

It’s not all bad news at USF these days.

Consider these five students who’ve received prestigious Fulbright Scholarships.

Zak Boggs: While completing his bachelor’s in biomedical sciences and master’s in marketing, he was captain of the Men’s Soccer Team and named Humanitarian Player of the Year. Now a pro player with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer, he plans to do cancer research at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.

Ryan Salazar: He plays trombones and has devoted himself to the study and research of teaching music and education reform. He led the USF marching band, Herd of Thunder, and received a Golden Bull award last year, one of 20 students picked from among more than 46,000 for their leadership, scholarship and service. He’ll be studying music education at the Institute of Education at the University of London.

Charles Dillon Swift: Another trombone player, he received the Presser Award as the most outstanding music undergraduate student at USF. He’s performed around the world, including at USF’s Bone Day. He plans to study at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Rostock, in Germany.

Trina Halfhide: She’s working on a doctorate in engineering science with research focusing on microalgae and their production of biofuels compounds. She’s also the principal investigator for the USF Solar Initiative, receiving a $160,000 grant for the effort.  She is president USF’s Engineers for a Sustainable World chapter and a member of the USF Triathalon Team, Tribulls. She’s headed to the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Anne Pfister: Working on her doctorate in applied anthropology, she’s headed to Mexico City to study cultural norms of deafness, and identity and language among Mexican youth. Last year, she received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Assistant. She’s fluent in Spanish and working toward proficiency in Mexican Sign Language.

To read more about the five scholars, you can go here.

If you want to find out what it takes to be a Fulbright Scholar, check out this workshop tomorrow.

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Poly transition begins; buckle your seatbelts

Posted Apr 23, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Apr 23, 2012 at 06:03 PM

With the fate of USF Polytechnic sealed, USF President Judy Genshaft met with students and faculty members this morning to answer questions about what’s next.

Despite the success of securing $10 million a year during the Legislative session for a “teach-out” plan, the news is grim.

Ten million dollars is not enough.

The current cost of running Poly is $18 million a year, Genshaft told the faculty, and “we will not be able to hire everyone.”

Does that mean layoffs?

“No definitive answers are there yet,” said USF spokesman Peter Howard in an email.

USF is setting up a transition team, and it “will be looking at all options to make sure the teach out is a success for the students and minimize the impact on faculty and staff.”

USF Poly students fought it to the end with calls and emails to Gov. Rick Scott, but he sided with state Sen. JD Alexander, who pushed through a bill this session to shut down USF Poly and create a new university, Florida Polytechnic, from scratch, in Lakeland.

The bill circumvents the state university Board of Governors’ decision to turn the USF Poly campus into an independent university only after it achieved accreditation, built new classrooms and met other benchmarks.

“Obviously there are a lot of questions out there,” said Howard’s email.

“A transition team will be put together that will include representatives from the Lakeland campus. Consensus is that a clearer picture will emerge in the next couple of months. HR has offered to meet with individuals, and the representatives will be spending time on the Lakeland campus.”

The past six months have been pretty much horrible for USF Poly students and faculty and USF administrators, as budget chairman Alexander enforced his will by threatening to gut USF’s budget if it didn’t go along with what he wanted.

And as this Lakeland Ledger story shows, the pressure keeps rising

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