Tampa Bay Times editorial board rips Thrasher’s attack on FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

Yesterday, the Tampa Bay Times editorial board joined the Tallahassee Democrat’s in blasting state Sen. John Thrasher’s attack on the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

From the editorial “Another higher ed power play”:

Florida taxpayers already are paying for one engineering school in Tallahassee, and they should not have to pay for two. A sudden plan to dismantle the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and create separate schools is a power play by an influential state senator and Florida State University alumnus to hand FSU its own engineering school. This is another example of the Legislature letting raw politics rather than sound policy rule higher education.

Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, an FSU alumnus and a potential candidate for the university's presidency, set aside $13 million in the Senate budget to begin the process of dismantling the engineering college and creating separate colleges for each university.

But Florida A&M supporters understandably fear that splitting the engineering college, which was founded in 1982, would ultimately starve FAMU of resources and result in the shuttering of its engineering program. Five former FAMU presidents oppose the split and want the Legislature to put more money toward the existing school. FAMU president Elmira Mangum also does not support the divestment. Early plans call for FAMU to keep both its share of the money now going to the joint engineering schools and FSU's share. But among FAMU supporters there is little confidence in the long-term sustainability of that plan. FAMU leaders estimate that the cost of building a new school on its campus would be at least $100 million.

Thrasher's proposal understandably raises eyebrows among FAMU supporters who have long questioned the state's commitment to the school, Florida's only public historically black university. There is reason for their concern. In 1968, FAMU's law school closed when the Legislature stopped funding it and transferred support to FSU's newly opened law school. FAMU's law school was reinstated in 2000 with a campus in Orlando and was backed by Thrasher, who was then House speaker.

Read the full editorial here.