Polk Senator Fast-Tracks Polytech Independence Bill
Monday, February 13, 2012
By: Rick Stone

February 13, 2012 | WMFE - State Senator J.D. Alexander says if he doesn't turn University of South Florida Polytechnic into Florida's 12th independent state university right now, it will never happen. The Lake Wales Republican, Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, has introduced a bill that would create Florida Polytechnic University immediately and allow it to come up to state standards later.

  

The university system's Board of Governors voted late last year to let USF Poly become independent in 2016 as long as it met certain benchmarks. USF and its president, Judy Genshaft, were left in charge of preparing the Lakeland campus. Senate Budget Chairman J.D. Alexander of Lake Wales says that was a mistake.

“It would be unlikely to result in the kind of quality focused institution that would justify the expense of investing in that effort.” Alexander said.

Through a surrogate sponsor, Alexander put Polytech independence in a budget bill, which gives it a faster, committee-free path through the Senate. Kim Wilmath, who covers higher education at the Tampa Bay Times, says Alexander's plan was not the direction that the Board of Governor had in mind. It wanted Polytech to earn its independence over time.

“It would be a careful slower approach, meeting those benchmarks sort of incrementally. Under this new bill that just showed up, it would be immediate.” Wilmath said.

It's unclear what the House will do. House Speaker Dean Cannon says he's not personally in favor of the new, independent university but he may allow it if the Senate agrees to go along with some of the House's budget priorities.