In today’s commentary I lend my voice to the chorus of voices trying to save the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus and programs. We begin with this explainer from the website Save USF Sarasota-Manatee, www.saveusfsm.org:
Governor Ron DeSantis proposes shutting down USF Sarasota-Manatee by July 1, 2026. The reason? To hand over the modern dorms, academic facilities, and land to New College of Florida.
The House of Representatives approved the proposal and made it worse by transferring USF SM funding to NCF.
Some 2,000 students study at USF Sarasota–Manatee in 40 accredited undergraduate and graduate programs designed with employers and community partners. These students would be displaced, forced to leave our community to study at USF’s St. Petersburg or Tampa campuses. No new students can be admitted after July 1 – too bad for high school seniors and SCF students planning to attend their hometown campus.
Make your voice heard. Tell our legislative delegation, clearly and firmly, that shutting down this campus is not only short-sighted, it is a bad deal for our students, our workforce, and our region’s future.
Here are some added facts from my personal experience.
- The Bloomberg terminal lab at USF SM was donated by me and Cumberland Advisors. It has been used for years now, and business and finance students can earn Bloomberg certificates as part of their course structure. The result is a much higher entry wage for undergraduates who enter the expanded financial services industry in the Sarasota-Manatee region. If DeSantis prevails, this would stop. There is a gift agreement. I know; I am the donor who agreed to it. You will see my name on that lab on the second floor of the USF building. Even if current students would be able to finish their programs, thousands of students of future generations would be impacted; and the region would lose a training system for its financial services industry. There is nothing at New College that is comparable, and what happens after the transfer would depend on the DeSantis-appointed leadership of New College.
- USF is a fully accredited university with three campuses. Sarasota-Manatee is one of the three. Beyond the 2000 students enrolled and learning on campus, the overall reach of the Sarasota-Manatee campus extends to 15,000 students when multi-campus conferences and USF SM online classes shared with all USF students are included. If DeSantis prevails, accreditation will be forfeited. New College is NOT a fully accredited university. It has a long history but was recently taken over by political forces that have raised its costs and changed its character. DeSantis was the governor who oversaw that takeover. Readers can ask others about the change in New College. Personally, I used to contribute scholarship money to New College – I don’t anymore.
- Nursing is a big deal. USF SM has a nursing component. The USF Nursing School is one of the finest in the country and has about 2000 students, and that includes those at the USF SM campus. There is a feeder program so that nursing students have an employment track into the Blake Medical Complex in Manatee County and the Sarasota Memorial Hospital system in Sarasota County. I contributed to the seed money that launched that program, which was a collaborative effort of the USF Foundation and the SMH Foundation and other philanthropy in the region. If DeSantis gets his way and eliminates the USF SM campus, that nursing program will stop. The nursing shortage in the hospitals in the region will worsen because the feeder system and preceptor system is rooted in the USF SM nursing program.
- There’s a lot more at stake, including the Title I household scholarships that support working students so they can attend USF SM and hold a job simultaneously. I’ve personally contributed to and support that scholarship. If DeSantis gets his way and closes USF SM, those, too, will stop.
The legislation has advanced in the Florida’s lower house, and now its fate is up to the Senate. The deadline is tight. Some Senators, like Joe Gruters, have previously opposed this transfer. Senator Gruters understands the devastation this attack on USF SM will inflict on the region.
I participated in a communal gathering this week where nearly 400 people came on short notice to oppose this raid on USF SM.
One might ask, what lies behind this madness of policy? Fair question. There is no rational explanation, IMO. But beneath the surface, I would invite inquisitive readers to tour the entire USF SM property, observe its value as a piece of real estate, and then think about what might happen in the future if its ownership is transferred to New College and the campus is subsequently converted into something other than an accredited university serving thousands of constituents in the region. Your imagination can do the rest for you.
Thank you for any assistance you can offer. Please forward this commentary wherever you think the information can be helpful. Time is of the essence since this issue will be decided in the Florida Senate, and the legislative session adjourns on March 13.
Please also contact legislators. Two Florida State Senators represent Sarasota and Manatee counties:
The Save USF Sarasota-Manatee website, www.saveusfsm.org, has a more extensive list of suggested legislators to contact. If you are interested in helping to save USF SM, the details of what to do are laid out in that website.
There are, of course, 40 Florida Senators; and every one of them will have a vote. They are listed at the Florida Senate website: https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/2024-2026.
Further reading “DeSantis wants to give USF’s Sarasota campus to New College of Florida” | Higher Ed Dive,
https://www.highereddive.com/news/desantis-usfs-sarasota-campus-transfer-new-college-of-florida/807834/
