Brain drain alert: USF loses rescue robot professor

Another week, another top professor leaving the state.

The University of South Florida is losing bragging rights to internationally renowned robotics researcher Robin Murphy, who gained notoriety when she deployed her search-and-rescue robots at the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster and then more recently in the Utah mine disaster.

She is resigning at the end of the summer to take a post at Texas A&M University.

"I hope that the faculty will think of my move as creating a new partner for those multi-institutional grants and that we will continue to work together to create technology to save lives," she wrote in her June 19 resignation letter.

For USF, a research university trying to boost its national profile, the departure is a painful reminder of how hard it’s becoming to keep the best faculty in the state university system. Florida State and the University of Florida, the other two major public research institutions, also are losing dozens of faculty and administrators.

They’re headed to universities in states like North Carolina that do not suffer the same financial and political uncertainties as Florida — where lawmakers facing revenue shortfalls have cut tens of millions of dollars from colleges’ rolls in the past year.

USF, Byrd Center to join after all?

The board of the Alzheimer's research center established by former House Speaker Johnnie Byrd Jr. is meeting this morning to consider a proposal that would have USF Health take over management of the center located in Tampa on the USF campus.

This, after much back-and-forth all session over the center's management and funding. First Byrd said he wanted USF to take it over, then later in the session he changed his mind and asked Speaker Marco Rubio to block a proposal that would have turned management over to USF.

In exchange, Byrd agreed to let the center be zero-funded for the budget year to begin July 1.

Brain drain continues, two more profs leave USF

Another day, another departure (or two) from a state university. The Women's Studies department at USF is losing professor Carolyn Eichner, and the Interdisciplinary Social Sciences department is losing Kennan Ferguson, who submitted their resignations yesterday. (See the letter here here.)

USF tried to keep them with salary negotiations, but the professors say salary isn't as important to them as the value USF puts on "research and pedagogy."

They're leaving for the University of Wisconsin, where they feel their research and academic goals will get far more support. In contrast, the professors write, "the administration's claim of Women's Studies' centrality to the university appears to be merely semantics."

USF staff union: 30 laid off so far

According to the latest newsletter for the union representing USF's staffers, administrators have notified 30 employees so far that their positions are being eliminated as part of the university's recently announced budget-cutting plan.

That includes nine maintenance workers; the rest are professional and office employees.  Three of those laid off have worked at USF for at least 10 years. Five others have worked there more than two decades.

Union leaders also say in the newsletter that USF President Judy Genshaft's promise to help ousted employees find work elsewhere isn't panning out in many cases.

"Many employees have complained that service is not providing the support in placement that has been promised by the Administration," the newsletter states.

USF announces major academic reorg

Two weeks after they unveiled their plans to trim the University of South Florida's annual budget by $36-million, administrators just announced a major academic reorganization that they say will strengthen USF in the long run.

 

The College of Arts and Sciences faces the most dramatic changes, including an administrative overhaul and the trading of several programs with other colleges and institutes at USF.

USF trustees OK new tuition rates for fall

USF trustees just approved new tuition rates for fall that will cost in-state graduate and undergraduate students more, but will lower the bill for out-of-state graduate students in select programs.

In-state undergrads at the regional campuses will pay 6 percent more, or $82.03 a credit hour. In-state undergrads on the Tampa campus who started in Fall 2007 or later will pay 9 percent more, or $88.99 per credit hour, under the "differential tuition" plan lawmakers approved last year. (That's $105 more per semester for a 15-credit schedule.)

All in-state graduate students will pay $242.04 a credit hour, up from $246.06, or $246.06 more a year.

Those same graduate students enrolled in programs including finance, marketing and nursing will pay an additional 4 percent to cover program costs, for a total of 10 percent.

Law, Ramil re-elected to head USF trustees

Prominent Tampa attorney Rhea Law and TECO executive John Ramil this morning were re-elected by their peers to serve as chair and vice-chair of the USF Board of Trustees.

Law is chairman and CEO of Fowler White Boggs Banker P.A. The USF graduate has long been involved with the Tampa Bay Partnership, the Florida Council of 100 and the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

Ramil, also a USF alum, is president and CEO of Teco Energy.

USF approves pharmacy degree

USF trustees just approved a doctor of pharmacy degree to be housed within USF Health. USF administrators say it's a response to a shortage of pharmacists, particularly in the Central Florida area.

There are currently 100 pharmacy programs in the country, including five in Florida. Among them is the FAMU program, which offers classes in Tampa.

Genshaft: 42 laid off so far at USF

Opening the USF Board of Trustees meeting this morning, President Judy Genshaft reported that 42 USF employees have been laid off since last month, when she announced a $35.6-million budget-cutting plan that ultimately eliminates 450 positions from the payroll

Only 70 of the 450 positions were filled when USF officials unveiled their plan a couple of weeks ago, so that leaves more than two dozen who still will get notices. Of the 42, 34 are staff, three are non-tenured faculty who were not actively teaching, and five were administrators.

"We're working very hard to place all of these people in career spots," Genshaft told trustees. "We want everybody to reach their career goals."

USF gets its Polytechnic

The governor has signed into law SB 186, officially turning USF's Lakeland campus into the state's first polytechnic university.

He said this 'step forward for higher education will place this campus on the same level as the other campuses of the University of South Florida."

After signing the bill, Gov. Crist sent out a mass e-mail with shout-outs to lawmakers including Sen. J.D. Alexander and Lakeland Rep. Seth McKeel "for their leadership on this issue." He also thanked Rep. Ed Homan of Temple Terrace and Sen. Carey Baker.

Crist also is expected to leave intact the $15-million in the proposed 08-09 budget that USF needs to start building a new campus for the polytechnic.

Alexander owns lots of land near the Lakeland campus.

USF provost responds to dean's resignation

UPDATE: Provost Ralph Wilcox has named Eric Eisenberg, former longtime chairman of USF's department of communications, to lead the College of Arts and Sciences temporarily. Wilcox told Gradebook that Eisenberg is a "national authority" on organizational change and leadership - and the college will be going through some major organizational changes.

“These are difficult times," Wilcox said. "But I think we have a real opportunity to get things right. But it means we have to do things differently, and we’re going to look different.”

In response to the resignation of USF's liberal arts dean, Provost Ralph Wilcox sent out this e-mail this morning to faculty:

Memorandum

To:                  Faculty and Staff, College of Arts and Sciences

From:              Ralph C. Wilcox, Provost and Senior Vice President

Subject:           College Leadership
            
Date:               June 9, 2008
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You may already have heard that Dr. John Skvoretz will step down as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences effective August 6, 2008. I would like to take this opportunity to thank John for his broad contributions in steering the College through a critically important period, over the past four years, as USF has strengthened its position as a national research university.

As I have regularly acknowledged, we all recognize that a very strong College of Arts and Sciences is essential to USF’s future. Since Fall 2004, Dean Skvoretz has guided the College through a period of growth in student and faculty headcount, degree productivity, and increases in external research funding. He has also brought a new appreciation to the importance of data analysis in informing decisions in the College. Today, Florida’s public universities are faced with a significant loss of public funding, a condition that will demand transformational, energized and innovative leadership with an increased focus on faculty recruitment and retention, enhanced scholarly productivity, improvements in undergraduate and graduate student success, interdisciplinary collaboration, global and community engagement, and fundraising.

Moreover, the coming months and years will call for some difficult decision-making as we continue to focus on our strategic path to the future. To this end, I look forward to working with College leaders, chairs and faculty in immediately moving forward to initiate a national search for our next dean. I expect to follow-up with you shortly in announcing the appointment of an interim dean and plans for the College’s future. Meanwhile, I trust you are enjoying a productive Summer, at least in a scholarly sense, and that you manage to find some time for rest and regeneration.

USF liberal arts dean resigns

USF's College of Arts and Sciences dean is resigning with what he calls "mixed emotions," and he cites as his reason the "potential dismantling" of the college (USF's largest) due to a looming budget-related reorganization.

"I carefully considered the fit between the type and style of the leadership I can provide and the type and style of the leadership the College needs at this point in time and concluded, reluctantly, that the fit is no longer there," Dean John Skvoretz wrote in an e-mail to colleagues.  "It has been extremely difficult over the past six months to see the advocating of proposals for its potential dismantling with quite limited consideration of the up and down sides of such an large and potentially contentous [sic] undertaking."

The liberal arts college will see its budget cut by nearly $7-million, under a $35.6-million savings plan USF officials announced last month. That includes seven potential staff layoffs, on top of 41 faculty and 30 staff posts that have already been left vacant to save money. There are also plans to consolidate some institutes and centers within the college.

Skvoretz joined USF in February 2005, following a long career at the University of South Carolina. His last day as dean will be Aug. 6. He told Gradebook in an e-mail Monday that he plans to continue teaching at USF.

Keep reading for the full e-mail he sent out Sunday.

Higher tuition, lower tuition at USF

A powerful politician speaks, and USF listens?

"Why don't we raise the tuition for the graduate students and the law school students instead of those on Bright Futures? I think it should be raised significantly."

So said Sen. Daniel Webster (left), outgoing Majority Leader, as the legislative session wrapped up last month, when the Gradebook asked him how universities might generate more revenue.

Well, fast forward a few weeks and whattaya know? USF trustees are poised to raise tuition for in-state graduate students by 10 percent for programs including finance, marketing and nursing. Florida med school students would pay 6 percent more, physical therapy students 4.5 percent more.

Meanwhile, out-of-state grad students in several programs would pay 10 percent less, allowing USF to more easily lure top students from around the country and the world. Faculty say the lower tuition also will mean grants covering the studies of those students will stretch further.

Graduate tuition and fees for non-Floridians studying here are now among the highest in the nation, more than $20,000 a year. Yet in-state graduate tuition and fees are among the lowest, $6,100 a year.

The full USF board of trustees will vote on the changes June 12.

USF-St Pete budget cuts will only mean 5 layoffs

In a letter sent yesterday to the USF St. Petersburg community, Chancellor Karen White stressed that only 5 of her campus' employees face layoffs as part of the administration's plan to save $35.6-million by eliminating a total of 450 positions across the USF system.

Read her letter below:

USF announces budget cuts

USF officials just announced plans to trim their 08-09 budget by 15 percent, or $52-million, over the next two years - with $35.6-million of the cut coming in the budget year that begins July 1.

The rest will be set aside, with the expectation that the governor and lawmakers will have to further cut the $66-billion state budget they just approved as the economy here worsens and tax collections come in below earlier estimates.

The cuts include the loss of 450 positions, only 70 of which are currently filled. The bulk have been left vacant since last year, when falling state revenues forces universities including USF to cut their base annual budgets by tens of millions of dollars.

Trustees are expected to approve the plan this afternoon.

President Judy Genshaft (shown above) stressed that tenured and tenure-track faculty positions will not be cut. Nor will the university eliminate or suspend degree programs, as UF plans to do.

And provost Ralph Wilcox said USF will use non-recurring reserves to fill some 170 vacant teaching positions for fall with adjuncts and non-tenured instructors. "It's a reinvestment, we're putting that money back into faculty," he said. "We have to teach classes in the fall, and we have an obligation to the students here."

- Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler, higher education reporter

Vice President of the USF Faculty Senate Larry Branch raised a question on the budget cuts at the end of Judy Genshaft's announcement. [Ken Helle, Times]

Admins, faculty at odds over $240-mil reserve fund

Does USF really have $240-million in reserves sitting around, and if so, can't administrators use it to blunt the more than $50-million in cuts that trustees are expected to approve at a special board meeting tomorrow afternoon?

Such is the contention of USF's faculty union, whose leaders are pushing administrators to tap into the so-called "unrestricted assets."

"The board could put us on a glide path, or on a crash path," said faculty union president Sherman Dorn. "Use those assets to bring in faculty, to award sabbaticals so that faculty can improve themselves."

But USF officials say the fund is not something that can be so easily accessed, nor is it as flush as it looks. USF spokeswoman Lara Wade said that of the $240-million, only $70-million is uncommitted to various USF projects.

And that $70-million must, at the Board of Governors' direction, be left untouched as as emergency fund that covers at least a month of payroll in the event of a disaster like a hurricane, Wade said.

Faculty union leaders are expected to raise the issue anyway during the trustees meeting, at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Marshall Center. The union last week also voted to request that administrators delay the reorganization of academic colleges and departments as part of their cost-saving strategy -- a request likely to be ignored.

Here's the union's analysis of assets

USF says thumbs down to movie theater classes

Hold the popcorn! The Oracle, USF's student paper, reports that administrators are ending the seven-years-long tradition of holding classes in the nearby University Mall.

Officials told the Oracle that they now have space for students on campus, and that some of the roughly 2,500 students attending classes in the theater didn't like the cinematic academic experience much anyway.

Not only were the classes huge, but students had to pay a $7.50 fee to take the classes there, helping offset what the university paid in shuttle transportation and mall space leasing costs.

Now maybe students can use the money to cover the rising gas costs just to get to the main campus...

A sly try at putting Byrd under USF

Sen. Arthenia Joyner is trying to revive efforts at putting the Johnnie Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Research Center under USF -- tacking an amendment onto a bill (SB 1768) that would allow UCF and eventually FIU to charge a higher "differential" tuition to Florida undergraduates.

The amendment essentially lays out the governance shift that USF has been fighting for all session, but that had recently been thwarted by Byrd supporters including former Speaker Johnnie Byrd Jr. In exchange for getting no money in 2008-09, leading lawmakers have signaled they'll let the center remain independent, as Byrd wants.

The House adopted the UCF tuition bill last week, but not with the Byrd amendment, which seems unlikey to fly over there.

Senate votes to make USF Lakeland separate

The Senate just unanimously approved a bill (SB 186) to make USF's fledgling campus in Lakeland, dubbed USF Polytechnic, a separately accredited regional campus.

The setup would be similar to USF's St. Petersburg campus. Meanwhile, USF officials and some lawmakers are pushing for $15-million in state money in next year's budget to start construction of a new $200-million campus they say will hold 16,000 students by 2043.

Read recent Times coverage here and here and here

Byrd setback for USF?

The latest House health budget proposal would leave the Byrd Alzheimer's Center outside of USF's control, and would provide zero new funding for 2008-09. Brandon Sen. Ronda Storms proposed the same in an amendment that failed on the floor last week. The proposal could change in conference, but the sentiment is notable.

USF is lobbying hard to assume control over the center, which would generate lots of rsearch dollars but has been controversial ever since former Speaker Johnnie Byrd established it. But Byrd lobbyists are fighting just as hard to maintain the research center's independence.

The center would not be bankrupt next year should lawmakers decide not to gie any new money. The center has more than $15-million in reserves

Is demand there for $15-mil USF Lakeland?

In a year when colleges are laying off staff and freezing enrollment, University of South Florida officials are strongly lobbying the Legislature for $15-million to kick-start a large new campus in Lakeland.

With a price tag of up to $200-million, the branch campus is slated to serve an eventual population that would make it larger than four of the state's 11 four-year universities.

But is the demand really there?

Read more here and here and here

Genshaft goes green

USF president Judy Genshaft plans to commit the university to the fight against global warming this weekend, when she signs the American Colleges & Universities Presidents Climate Commitment during the Getting Green By Going Green Expo in Tampa.

The commitment states, in part: "Campuses that address the climate challenge by eliminating global warming emissions and by integrating sustainability into their curriculum will better serve their students and meet their social mandate to help create a thriving, ethical and civil society."

Genshaft said in a press release that it makes sense for universities to take the lead in dealing with environmental problems such as global warming. "College and university campuses are teeming with the brainpower, the expertise and the passion to make a tremendous contribution to confronting climate change. I'm proud to join with my colleagues across the nation in this endeavor."

USF Byrd takeover clears Senate committee

A senate health committee unanimously approved the proposal to move the Johnnie Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center under the authority of USF, a move opposed by the Byrd Center board but pushed by USF officials. Next and last stop before the Senate floor is the higher ed appropriations committee, but Byrd representatives are holding out some hope for changing the proposal in their favor on the House side.

Also, the Senate wants to cut the center's $13.5-million annual budget to $5-million. And the House proposes cutting it to $3.5-million.

"If you don't believe in Alzheimer's research, fine, just say it," said Byrd spokeswoman Melanie Meyer. "But we put $2-million a year alone just to match federal grants."

Independent USF Lakeland bill moves ahead

Legislation to make USF's Lakeland campus a separately accredited and budgeted entity passed the Senate higher education committee with little debate this morning. USF St. Petersburg is operated that way already.

Meanwhile, USF officials are seeking $15-million to build a campus in Lakeland, where they now share space with Polk community college. The prospects of that happening this snssiom are less certain, given the state's more than $2-billion deficit for 2008-09.

Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Wales, is pushing the independent campus bill in his chamber. He has significant land holdings near the proposed campus.

Byrd overhaul clears first hurdle

The proposed legislation to overhaul management of the Johnnie Byrd Alzheimer's Center by putting it under the oversight of USF just cleared its first Senate committee, despite one lawmaker's concerns over financial accountability and research autonomy.

The bill (SB 1080) would align the center with USF but open it up to the other state universities' participation, and would create a research board whose members are appointed by the governor, USF president, Senate president and House speaker.|

"This is a consensus agreement with all parties involved," said Tampa Sen. Victor Crist. "It will provide the fiscal oversight the center needs."

The vote was 4-1, with Jacksonville Republican Jim King dissenting.

King said he favors USF controlling the center but said he thinks the proposal still gives the Center too much freedom over finances and research issues.

"This whole thing has become more politicized than perhaps it ever should," said King, who tried unsuccessfully to get FSU a chiropractic center at the time Byrd was established. "Now there's a taint, and I'm not sure this bill will cure that."

Byrd Center proposal details

Here's the proposal to be considered tomorrow morning, Wednesday, by the Senate higher education committee:

St. Petersburg Democrat Charlie Justice, USF academic advisor, is proposing an amendment to Tampa Sen. Arthenia Joyner's shell bill (SB1080) that will put the Johnnie Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center under USF control.

Justice's amendment proposes "The center shall work in collaboration with other state universities on programs directly relating to research,  education, treatment, prevention, and early detection of  Alzheimer's disease."

An operations director, chosen by USF's president, would run the center. A research director, also chosen by the president, would oversee all research activities.

A seven-member advisory board "of leading researchers, physicians, and scientists" would be chosen for two-year terms by the governor, Senate president, House speaker and USF president.

Proposal puts Byrd Center under USF

The Johnnie Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute would fall under the control of the University of South Florida, but would enjoy participation from other state universities, under draft legislation the Buzz just saw. And USF's president would have much control in appointing leaders for the center, established amid much controversy when Johnnie Byrd Jr. was House Speaker.

That scenario is just what USF has been lobbying for, and USF officials called the early draft a "step in the right direction." The timing is good, too: USF President Judy Genshaft and medical school dean Stephen Klasko will be at the Capitol this afternoon, no doubt to push their cause.

SB1080 comes before the higher education committee tomorrow, Wednesday the 19th, at 9 a.m.

USF revives Upward Bound with $3.5-million

Upward Bound is back at USF.

The university has received a $3.5 million grant to re-establish the federal program , which supports low income and first-generation college students through high school and college.

USF operated Upward Bound for four-plus decades but was among many institutions, including UF, that lost federal funding last year because of a change in the evaluation procedures. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) and other members of Congress helped restore the money, through the five-year grant.

USF Lakeland campus bill just filed

Lakeland Republican Rep. Seth McKeel has filed the bill (HB 1143) to create a separate campus, with separate accreditation, for USF in Lakeland.

Lakeland would have its own campus board that includes four Lakeland residents. But creating a USF Lakeland campus hinges on lawmakers approving USF's $15-million request to build it. Last year, the governor vetoed a $10-million construction proposal.

Dean: $300-mil for USF hospital, but no state money

USF medical school dean Stephen Klasko estimates it would cost $300-million to build the 200-bed teaching hospital he wants on the Tampa campus, but he vowed to the Times editorial board this afternoon that he will not seek state money for it.

Lawmakers would have to OK proposed legislation that exempts some state universities including USF from getting certificates of need to build such hospitals, a change the Florida Hospital Association opposes.

Klasko said he is "optimistic" about the proposal's chances of passing, and said if it happens USF would use donations and, most likely, a partnership with an existing university hospital to make the USF hospital a reality. He said the University of Pittsburgh is one possibility.

"They've talked to us about a partnership, and that's part of our desire to start a hospital," Klasko said.

USF gets House muscle in hospital bid

House Speaker-in-the-making Will Weatherford just filed a bill that would allow USF to build its own teaching hospital by exempting state universities meeting certain benchmarks from certificate of need (CON) requirements.

The proposal from Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, is similar to a bill filed recently by Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole. But Weatherford's support is a notable boost for USF, given his high profile and political clout.

Then again, the Florida Hospital Association is a mighty force opposed to such certificate of need changes...

State auditor finds several problems at USF

USF last year had more than a dozen deficiencies and weaknesses in its financial operations, according to a just-released state audit that documents problems in areas such as travel reimbursements, cell phone use, the monitoring of vendors contracts, and the collection of student tuition.

The Florida Auditor General, in an operational audit for the budget year that ended in June, found USF was not fully complying with rules for employee cell phone use, travel expenses, and employees’ use of university purchasing cards.

USF administrators will discuss the audit and their response during a trustees meeting on the Tampa this morning.  The audit indicates USF officials have already addressed many of auditors’ concerns, with a goal of resolving them by this summer.

USF gets $2-mil gift for scholarships

The same group that donated $5-million to the Florida public university system last year just gave $2-million to USF, to create an endowed scholarship fund for minorities and low-income students.

The Helios Education Foundation's $2 million gift is eligible for an equivalent match from the state of Florida, so it has the potential to generate $4-million in scholarships.

USF officials say they will look in particular for scholarship recipients who are undergraduates from low-income families and diverse ethnic backgrounds. Helios wants its gift to help increase the number of students entering and completing college.

“This is an extraordinarily generous gift,” said USF President Judy Genshaft.  “And we are delighted to receive funding for those students who are in particular need of scholarships.  I believe this gift recognizes our tougher entrance standards and high achievement of our students.”

The Helios Education Foundation is a large nonprofit organization dedicated to improving education of underrepresented groups. Helios has a nearly $600-million endowment and opened its Florida office in downtown Tampa last fall.

USF names new library dean

USF administrators have chosen an associate libraries dean from Syracuse University to lead their system of six libraries.

William Garrison took the USF post this week. He most recently served as deputy university librarian and associate dean of libraries at Syracuse.         

“Bill Garrison has spent his entire career working in libraries that belong to the prestigious Association of Research Libraries,” said USF Provost Ralph Wilcox. “Above all, he understands the key role that the libraries play in supporting student, faculty and program needs as USF advances toward its strategic vision."

Significantly, Garrison was a Fellow in the first Association of Research Libraries, Research Libraries Leadership Fellows Program. USF would like to be a member of the association, part of their bid to be named to the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU).  Garrison also has held top positions at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Stanford University, and Northwestern University -- all AAU institutions.

“USF already has an outstanding library system and a great staff, and working together, we can take it to the next level as the administration works to do the same throughout the University,” Garrison said.

Money dangers for USF Lakeland?

Boy, this isn't what USF officials wanted to hear:

With money so tight, maybe building a new campus for USF in Lakeland isn't so wise, said Board of Governors member John Dasburg.

"I question whether we should move forward with the Lakeland campus," Dasburg said. "I would hope we're facile enough that when times change, we're willing to look at things differently. Maybe this is not the right time to invest this kind of money in another campus while we're in a process...of curtailing the investments in our existing core of universities."

Board members Zach Zachariah and Arlen Chase echoed Dasburg's sentiment.

USF wants $15-million in state construction money to build the Lakeland campus, but the Board has ranked it last among a list of 41 prioritized projects.

USF president Judy Genshaft said the money is crucial because USF is running out of time to finalize the takeover of 537 acres donated for the proposed campus near  I-4.

Police, USF contract clears first of two stops

USF police union members have voted 24-4 to accept the proposed contract that raises their base pay and provides annual bonuses and retention raises.

Next stop is the USF board of trustees, where it's expected to pass.

The contract was hard-fought, coming after months of tense negotiations and some police officers' very public criticism of the USF administration.

USF, campus police reach contract deal

The wrangling is over. USF officials and the union representing campus police officers have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that will, among other things, raise officer's starting salaries by nearly $3,000 a year.

The agreement follows months of tense negotiations that recently stalled when USF officials declared an impasse.

Police Benevolent Association officials will present the contract to members for ratification on Wednesday, and then the contract goes to USF trustees for final approval.

“We had the best and strongest package in the State University System because we believe our initiative to strengthen campus safety is critical,” said USF President Judy Genshaft in a prepared statement. “We believe this new contract will make the University more competitive with other police agencies in the area.”

“We are pleased that the University of South Florida and the Police Benevolent Association have reached a tentative agreement,” said Greg Stout, President of the Tampa Chapter of the PBA. “Campus safety is our number one priority and with this agreement we are on the way to attracting and retaining quality law enforcement to the University. This agreement is the direct result of the hard work and dedication of both negotiation teams with special thanks to Sandy Lovins of USF and Attorney Robert McCabe of the PBA.” 

The salary boost will take effect immediately.

USF, Mote Marine propose collaboration

After working together on various research projects for years, officials with USF and the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota want to more formally collaborate with a multimillion dollar partnership that focuses on marine biology research, water, sharks and other areas.

The two would form a direct support organization that aims to make the two entities stronger by pooling resources.

But the proposed deal hinges largely on state money, no guarantee in these lean budget times. USF will  seek $6-million in annual, recurring dollars from the state plus $10-million in one-time money.

Mote is pledging $4.5-million from its research endowment.

"Like anyone else, we will have to make a compelling case as to the benefits of this for the state," said Provost Ralph Wilcox.

USF Lakeland low on SUS construction list

Ouch! First Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed $10-million budgeted for USF's long-sought Lakeland campus.

Now, as the 2008 legislative session nears, USF is asking for $15-million in PECO construction dollars for the campus. But on a list of 41 prioritized projects for all 11 state universities, the Board of Governors staff has ranked the Lakeland construction dead last.

Between that and USF's push to fold the Byrd Alzheimer's Institute into USF Health, administrators and their lobbyists will be busy this spring.

The Board of Governors will discuss the construction project during its meeting at FAMU in Tallahassee next week.

USF system: Separate, but together

The USF Lakeland campus isn't even built yet. In fact, the state money needed to build it isn't yet a guarantee.

But USF trustees meeting next Thursday the 17th will review a document called "Paths to Mission Differentiation" that recommends the Lakeland and the Sarasota-Manatee campuses secure separate SACS accreditation, as the St. Petersburg campus did in June 2006.

The report notes that Florida law now mandates "fiscal autonomy and Campus Boards, together with separate regional accreditation for USF St. Petersburg and USF Sarasota-Manatee. It is likely USF Lakeland will be added to this law in the 2008 legislative session."

The report recommends the Manatee and Lakeland campuses get accredited by 2012.

USF leaders say it's part of their continuing mission to develop as a large, comprehensive research institution while nonetheless meeting the unique needs of the communities served by the branch campuses.

Also Thursday, trustees will discuss a proposal to raise campus housing rates by up to 8 percent.

Gov. Crist reappoints Rhea Law through 2013

Gov. Charlie Crist just announced he is appointing USF trustees chairwoman Rhea Law to another term, starting Monday and ending in January 2013.

Law, 58, is president and CEO chief executive officer for the Fowler White Boggs Banker law firm, Tampa's largest.

A USF graduate and friend to USF President Judy Genshaft, she's a longtime trustee who has been leading the 13-member trustees board since June 2006.

The Senate still must confirm her appointment.

USF names interim leader of public safety

An associate criminal justice professor who served as police chief at Michigan State University will lead the University of South Florida’s newly created Division of Public Safety — for now.

USF officials announced Thursday that Bruce Benson, a visiting instructor of criminology at USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus, will be Interim Assistant Vice President for the safety division starting later this month.

Administrators recently created the division in hopes of improving campus safety and emergency response plans, and amid tense contract negotiations with police union leaders. The division includes the USF police department, security, emergency operations, parking enforcement and other safety-related services.

Benson, described by USF chief financial officer Carl Carlucci as a “seasoned university administrator,” starts Jan. 14.

Benson has spent the past two decades as a police administrator and criminal justice instructor, said USF spokesman Ken Gullette. He holds degrees in police administration, criminal justice, and administration and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Meanwhile, the negotiations between USF and union officials remain in a deadlock.

New USF student union makes Gold-en progress

As the new and improved student union under construction at the University of South Florida's main campus in Tampa moves toward its summer 2008 opening, construction workers hit a project milestone Friday morning.

At 9 a.m., they installed the gold beam (as in green and gold, Go Bulls!) that has been signed by thousands of students, staff and faculty. The beam tops off the new Marshall Center's steel structure.

USF officials declare impasse with police union

One day after the Times reported on a consultant's recommendation that USF pay its overworked police officers more and beef up its force to improve campus safety, union and university officials are declaring an impasse in negotiations.

The two sides have been negotiating since June, but talks grew increasingly tense in recent weeks. Here's the statement from USF spokesman Ken Gullette:

Consultant: USF police understaffed, underpaid

The University of South Florida police department suffers from “immediate and growing” manpower problems that are exacerbated by its “non-competitive compensation package." As a result, the force is “understaffed” and hard-pressed to respond to “special events or critical incidents.”

So concludes a national security consultant, in a 27-page report completed this month and obtained by the Times on Wednesday.

The findings of Hallcrest Systems Inc., echo many of the sentiments voiced by police union leaders and officers who are wrangling with USF officials over a new contract.

“It’s very insightful, and we’re hopeful it will be implemented,” police spokeswoman Lt. Meg Ross said of the recommendations.

USF administrators paid Hallcrest $13,000 for the assessment, said university spokesman Ken Gullette.
Gullette said the goal was to get an “objective look” at USF’s security needs, in light of the controversial contract negotiations.

“During times like police contract negotiations, sometimes emotion comes into it,” Gullette said. “So we wanted an independent view.”

Read more in tomorrow's Times and on tampabay.com.

USF-St. Pete sanctioned by accreditors

Eighteen months after it earned independence from the main campus by getting its own accreditation, USF-St. Petersburg is facing scrutiny from the accrediting agency.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' commission on colleges has placed USF on "warning" status, one step away from the probation sanction that can lead to a total loss of SACS' seal of approval.

Gradebook has learned that SACS officials are concerned with the campus' compliance with a handful of standards including "General Education Core Competencies" and student achievement.

Read more on Gradebook later today, and get the full story in tomorrow's Times.

Lakeland realtor named to USF trustees

Walter "Gene" Engle, a Lakeland realtor with deep ties to the University of South Florida, is USF's newest trustee.

The Board of Governors approved Engle's appointment this afternoon during its meeting in Orlando.

Engle, a lifelong Polk County resident, has served on the Lakeland Campus Master Planning Steering Committee and the USF Foundation board.

Two vie for spot on USF trustees

A Lakeland realtor and a prominent Tampa attorney are in Orlando this morning for interviews before a Board of Governors committee, which will decide this afternoon whether they should serve on USF's board of trustees.

Realtor Walter “Gene” Engle, a former USF trustee; and Harold Mullis, president of the Trenam Kemker law firm, are among several nominees  being interviewed today for various state university trustee boards.

Engle, a lifelone Polk County resident, Engle, has deep ties to USF, having served on the Lakeland Campus Master Planning Steering Committee and the USF Foundation board.

Mullis (at left), a former visiting lecturer at Stetson Law, is a founding member of Trenam Kemker.

USF staff union seeks federal mediator

The union representing USF's nearly 2,000 staff members has asked a federal mediator to intervene in their contract negotiations with USF management.

The staff union is entering its third year of negotiations, which it describes as "stalled" in an e-mail sent this morning to its members.

"We have exhausted every approach in talks with management without resolution to many important issues to the staff," the e-mail explained. "In our view Federal Mediation will offer professional guidance for both sides to move to an agreement."

Colleges have different plans for higher spring tuition

All 11 state universities will charge in-state undergraduates 5 percent more come January, but they have very different plans for spending the additional revenue -- $9.5-million in all.

UF will use its $1.5 million entirely on hiring new faculty and academic advisors, while FSU will use most of its $1.4-million to restore money that was cut this fall from "critical" areas like library operations.

USF will use $1-million of its $1.4-million in additional revenue to restore course offerings cut this fall. More than $300,000 will go into need-based aid, and merit-based aid will increase by $106,000. UCF has similar plans, putting $1-million into course offerings and $550,000 into need-based aid.

Click here for the full report, to be discussed next week when the Board of Governors meets on UCF's Orlando campus.

USF makes meningitis vaccine a must

It’s official: Starting in January, any University of South Florida student who moves into campus housing must be vaccinated against bacterial meningitis, the disease that killed a USF sophomore earlier this year.

USF President Judy Genshaft sent a letter over the Thanksgiving break to about 36,000 students, notifying them of the new policy. Genshaft, a mother of two, demanded the vaccine be made mandatory after Rachel Futterman’s September death, which also prompted the board that oversees Florida's 11 universities to examine vaccine policies statewide.

So far, USF is the first to make the vaccine mandatory for campus residents.

“Together we can make decisions to avoid another such tragedy,” Genshaft wrote. “Your wellness is our primary concern.”

Students who already have housing contracts through the spring are exempt for now, but will have to get the vaccine before signing any new contract. Genshaft’s letter urges all students to “take action now.”

Wednesday, USF will be offering the vaccine free to any students 18 and under, or for $90 to older students. The vaccine clinic goes from noon to 4 p.m. in the Marshall Center ballroom.

USF student paper to AAU: Don't let USF in

Ouch!

In a biting "open letter" to the prestigious, invitation-only Association of American Universities, the editorial board of USF's student newspaper is urging the 62-university organization to tread carefully before adding USF as a member.

USF's recently released 5-year strategic plan makes working toward AAU membership its primary, overriding goal. UF is the only Florida university now in the AAU.

But the Oracle asserts that administrators want the AAU  "to overlook certain aspects of their institution," chief among them the thin-ranked police department and students' security concerns.

Total eclipse of music taste at USF?

The launch of Ruckus' music downloading program at the University of South Florida is only seven weeks old and increasingly popular, but the music tastes of the students using it are apparently stuck in the '80s.

This week, USF hit a milestone with the millionth song download through Ruckus, a free online music and media service exclusive to colleges.

So what was that song? No, not the latest from Justin Timberlake or Jay-Z. It was Bonnie Tyler’s "Total Eclipse of the Heart," which was a worldwide hit — in 1983!

More than five dozen USF students have signed up for Ruckus every day since it launched, and fortunately not all students are stuck in another decade. The top 10 downloads for the week of Oct. 23 included three by Kanye West and two by Timbaland.

USF signed on with Ruckus after the record business' trade group accused 400 students at 13 universities, including 31 at USF, of illegally sharing and downloading tens of thousands of songs. The group warned that each shared song carries a minimum fine of $750 and could land students in court.

USF Vice provost moves up, fills Khator's vacancy for now

Vice provost Ralph Wilcox will serve as provost for 2 1/2 years while USF searches for a permanent replacement, USF president Judy Genshaft just announced.

She's not calling Wilcox "interim," but he doesn't have the job for good: USF is launching a national search for a permanent replacement to be chosen by 2010.

Wilcox takes over in January for outgoing Provost Renu Khator, who leaves at the end of this year to be president of the University of Houston and chancellor of the University of Houston system.

Wilcox, vice provost since 2003, has dealt mostly in policy analysis, planning and performance. He also has been USF’s liaison to the Florida Board of Governors, helping with long-range enrollment planning and legislative budget matters.

Faculty Senate and student government leaders applauded the choice.

It's official: USF provost on her way to Houston

As expected, the governing board for the University of Houston System today confirmed USF Provost Renu Khator to lead the University of Houston and the UH system.

Khator is expected to assume the president/chancellor role by January, leaving behind the university where she began two decades ago as a visiting professor and worked her way up.

The UH System Board of Regents picked Khator as their top choice last month but had to wait until today to officially hire her, under provisions laid out in state law.

“It will be my job to build the four universities of the UH System into a model metropolitan institution of higher education for the 21st century, one that provides access and excellence with equal ease,” Khator told a Houston ballroom filled with well wishers, according to UH officials. “There is already so much to be proud of, and I look forward to helping UH becoming the state’s next flagship research university.”

Khator, 52, has been USF provost since 2003, and her husband is an engineering professor there. Natives of India, they have two grown daughters.

USF has not yet named an interim replacement for Khator or decided on a search process.

The first USF security guards arrive

Just in time for tonight's Homecoming parade and post-parade festivities, the first of USF's new unarmed security officers have arrived on campus.

Lt. Meg Ross, USF police department spokeswoman, said two AlliedBarton officers this morning began foot patrols in the north end of campus that includes residence halls and the health sciences facilities. There are three shifts, with two officers working each one, for a total of six.

"That way we have 24-7 coverage," Lt. Ross said.

Eventually, USF will use more of the AlliedBarton officers, but the year-long contract with the national company -- announced by President Judy Genshaft last weelk -- is still being finalized. USF administrators expect to spend about $200,000 total.

That money comes largely from dollars budgeted but unspent last year for positions that were never filled. Among those positions: A dozen or so in the USF police department, which struggles to recruit and retain sworn officers because the starting pay is so low and the pay raises insufficient compared to other area agencies like TPD.

But USF administrators insist they are dedicated to improving the police department through current contract negotiations, and they stress the AlliedBarton guards are simply "augmenting" the police department -- not replacing it.

Lt. Ross said the unarmed guards might prove "very helpful" during tonight's festivities, but the department still is having to use all its officers on extended shifts.

"Every officer we have is working these events," she said. "Some who already worked a 12-hour shift will stay into the night."

USF to house special education center

The University of South Florida today received nearly $1-million from the federal Department of Education to set up a national special education technical center.

Working with the universities of Connecticut and Oregon, USF will set up a Center on State Implementation and Scaling-Up of Evidence-Based Practices. The center will work with six states, which will be selected in the spring, to determine which education  programs work best for all students. The outcomes then will be shared with other states.

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