ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two universities in our area could potentially become part of the University of Florida and Florida State under a new proposal in the Florida House.
The Education Committee is going to look at the idea of a merger on Wednesday.
Leaders at both New College in Sarasota and Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland just learned about this legislation and have expressed they believe the university system is better left as it is.
Here's a little background on both of these schools. US News and World Report ranked New College one of the best for liberal arts, best value and most innovative.The school has less than a thousand students enrolled.
Florida Polytechnic is no stranger to changes in Tallahassee. J.D. Alexander helped get it out of the USF system, and in 2014 the school opened its doors as the state's 12th public university. It cost taxpayers more than $100 million. At the time, it had more than 500 students, and now it has about triple that. The classes are focused on STEM subjects.
You can read letters from both schools below.
Here is a letter from the New College of Florida president:
Dear Members of the New College Community,
I just learned about House Bill PCB EDC 20-03 late Monday afternoon. It proposes that Florida Polytechnic University be merged into University of Florida and New College of Florida into Florida State University.
No one outside of a small group in the House knew anything about this. As best we can tell, it was drafted without knowledge or input from any of the affected universities or members of the Board of Governors. There is no companion bill in the Senate, and that chamber seems to have been caught unawares, too.
While I certainly respect the Legislature’s right to entertain and make these kinds of decisions, I believe that the State University System is stronger with an independent New College. One of the system’s hallmarks is its diversity of institutions. New College plays an important and unique role in this respect and, in fact, in the national higher education landscape. New College has consistently ranked among the top public liberal arts universities since becoming independent, second only to the nation's military academies. It offers unique opportunities for Florida’s students and fills an important need in our region. For these reasons, I wholeheartedly support New College’s continued independence.
We are working closely with our legislative team, the Board of Governors and our fellow members in the State University System. We will keep you posted as we learn more.
Please send any questions and concerns to communications@ncf.edu.
Don
Donal O'Shea
President
New College of Florida
Preparing intellectually curious students for lives of great achievement.
Here's a letter from the Florida Polytechnic president Dr. Randy Avent:
Dear Florida Poly community,
As I’m sure you’ve heard, there is a bill proposed in the House of Representatives to merge Florida Poly with the University of Florida. We were made aware of the legislation yesterday late in the afternoon along with everyone else. We are working closely with our colleagues in Tallahassee, our public affairs team and our Legislative Delegation as we monitor the process throughout today and the upcoming weeks.
This is the University statement at this time – we will keep you informed and updated as we get any further information.
Respecting every taxpayer dollar and maximizing the impact of those dollars is clearly at the heart of this legislative proposal. But the facts and the truth show that every dollar at Florida Polytechnic University is already having a maximum positive impact. That’s why we respectfully and strongly oppose this unnecessary and unwarranted legislation. We stand behind the fact that we have accomplished, and continue to accomplish, great things as a separate, unique institution within the State University System. Florida’s future lies in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and Florida Poly offers a core STEM education available nowhere else in our state. In its young life, Florida Poly has been doing the job it was created for. Our projections show enrollment growth, and applications have nearly doubled. This university has a substantial economic impact for the benefit of all of Florida, and our recently earned ABET accreditation is a testimony to the high standards of our academic degrees. A recent study showed that Florida Poly grads can expect a return on their investment that is more than three times larger than the other universities in the system. It would be a profound mistake, for our current and future students – and for the state of Florida – to diminish Florida Poly’s role in meeting this important state objective.
Please know that things can change quickly in Tallahassee, so please reach out if you hear anything or have any questions. All of us have worked incredibly hard to build this University, and I’m confident we will continue to do so.
Best,
Randy
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