In a recent opinion column in Tallahassee Democrat, FAMU President James Ammons defended the construction dollars that are part of the university’s 2010-2011 budget appropriation.He says that the “shovel ready” building projects will help jump start the state’s economy. Additionally, the facilities will enable FAMU to lure more federal research dollars and produce Ph.D. students who will make cutting-edge scientific discoveries.
From Ammons’ column:
The Legislature appropriated $23 million in Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) funds to FAMU to begin construction on a 65,000-square-foot addition to the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. This addition, which was approved by the FAMU Board of Trustees and has been on the Board of Governors' PECO list for nearly seven years, is one of the top construction priorities for the university.
This project would allow the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences to increase the amount of federally funded research from its current $23 million annually to more than $45 million. This project supports Chancellor Frank Brogan's New Florida Initiative that would create jobs and generate the research and the talent Florida needs to build a new knowledge-based economy.
In addition, the new space would allow the College of Pharmacy to increase the number of Ph.D. students from 42 to 75. Already, FAMU has awarded more than 60 percent of the nation's minority Ph.D.'s in pharmaceutical sciences.
The Legislature also included in its 2010-11 budget $4.199 million to continue planning a much-needed third building for the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The project received $1.971 million in PECO funding in 2009-10 (equally divided between both FAMU and FSU).
This third building will provide much-needed space to replace 14 portable trailer units the college currently occupies. These portable units were donated to the college by the Leon County Public Schools system and have outlived their usefulness.
These projects are "shovel ready" and will immediately infuse new money in Florida's economy.
In addition, we received $7 million to renovate a 40,000-square-foot building, which was donated by the city of Crestview, and $1.5 million to hire faculty and staff for the Crestview Educational Center to establish a pharmacy and other health programs. This is an excellent example of the type of inter-governmental collaboration that will help create a highly trained, rural health care work force that is sorely needed in this part of the state. These kinds of investments in higher education will continue to pay dividends over the long haul as Florida works to build a new and vibrant economy.
Its a shame that our University has to continuously justify every dollar that we receive from the state. Even when the funds are earmarked for to improve the state's best pharmacy program!
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ReplyDeleteBe we are a state institution such justification is required and very necessary to make sure taxpayer money is still being used as initially requested. So, I don't have a problem with our having to justify why we need the money. The economy, as you know, is in shambles, and all govermental institutions are having to justify such expenditures. Dr. Ammons does a very good job of explaining why the money is needed and how it will be used.
Respectfully,
True but it shouldn't be handled in a way that allocated monies are inadequate due to the length of time sitting on a list. The BOG should be disbanded and the universities should represent themselves.
ReplyDeleteCan hardly tell that we are state institution, any of us. This state does not fund education and the citizens are stuck on stupid. Day by day Florida seems to look and talk like Mississippi.
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