All the hard work the University of South Florida did to plan a College of Pharmacy is about to benefit an institution that will soon become one of its competitors.Florida Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander (R-Lake Wales) has earmarked $10M to create a pharmacy school at USF Polytechnic in Lakeland. That’s about 45 minutes away from Tampa, the location where USF’s top officials actually wanted the program placed.
There’s little secret about Lakeland’s long-term ambition to have its own state university. The buzz is that the city’s legislative delegation will eventually introduce a bill to turn USF Polytechnic into a free-standing university named “Florida Polytechnic.”
Florida Polytech’s pharmacy school would be a flagship program that would help the new university recruit top performing high school seniors and pump millions of research dollars into its budget.
USF leaders wanted the pharmacy program to be part of the medical school on the Tampa campus. Some USF-Tampa supporters are already voicing opposition.
“We have the medical school in Tampa. Why do we need a pharmacy school in Lakeland?” Rep. Ed Homan (R-Tampa) asked in the St. Petersburg Times. Homan teaches orthopedics at USF’s med school.
Kevin Sneed, a former FAMU professor USF hired to build its planned Tampa pharmacy school, looks like he’s ready to jump ship and go to the future Florida Polytech. The Times reports that Sneed loves the proposal to locate the school in Lakeland and says it’s “basically a done deal.”
Some members of the State Conference of Black Legislators, including Rep. Betty Reed (D-Tampa), voted against the House bill to establish a USF pharmacy school due to concerns about how it will affect FAMU’s pharmacy satellite campus in Tampa.
Rattlers must continue to ask: If Florida has enough money to fund two new med schools at UCF and FIU and a new pharmacy school at USF Polytech, then why can’t FAMU get $1.5M to plan a dental school to address the state's severe dentist shortage?
All this complaining about money and they want to have another state funded school. I surprised all the current schools don't fight this.
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ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be wise for the other colleges/universities to publicly complain about one school receiving a certain amount of funds because the same arguments could be used later against respective schools that receive larger amounts of funding in a given year. Now, supporters of the schools (e.g., alumni) can make such complaints. But the schools shouldn't publicly complain about other schools that way. The best argument FAMU should continue to make is that there is a need for more dental professionals in Florida.
USF is taking a suckers bet! They are helping build their competition! lol
ReplyDeleteAnd they tell us that they're trying to move away from the "traditional" campus. Yet UCF, FAU, and FIU have all done well with the Jeb Bushes and Chalie's out there. Look out for Marco Polo Rubio, he's not gonna wait for you to turn your back! They're goin' to town here in Florida since the Dems are focused on the Nation. You know they love to hoard the States. We're still unbalanced here in Florida and its getting to look a lot like Ole Miss.
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