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(Sarasota, FL March 14, 2004) - The Governor and Cabinet cleared the Crosley Campus Center Plan for USF Sarasota-Manatee this past week. As we seek legislative funding for this wonderful new facility, it is important for the community to understand our purpose and plans.

I write this column to clarify issues, not to take issue with neighbors or environmentalists or newspaper reporters. I wish to thank the loyal supporters of USF - the alumni, the chambers of commerce, the students and faculty and community leaders who stood by us through many months of the Master Plan amendment process.

Our Campus Board, Community Leadership Council, USF Board of Trustees stand firmly behind our commitment to build the Crosley campus center, which began in 1991 when the site was purchased. We appreciate very much the support of the Governor and Cabinet and our local legislative delegation.

We also appreciate concerns raised by neighbors. That is why we have significantly altered our plans over the last 13 months of public hearings and testimony. We have listened to all sides and engaged first-class experts to help us address the educational, environmental, historic preservation and neighborhood compatibility issues. A quality plan is in place along with the architectural details. My hope is that we can now unite in our efforts to secure $14.7 million and start building.

To clarify issues raised last week in media articles and comments from neighbors, please allow me to point out:

•  Demand for higher education in our area continues to grow. We just recently surpassed 3,000 students annually. Some 500 graduates a year fill critical teaching, nursing, accounting and business jobs in our local economy. But we are out of room and have not received legislative funding for USF facilities since 1985

• We are celebrating our 30th anniversary on this beautiful bayfront campus. We believe it’s the right location to recruit outstanding students and faculty. With the Legislature separating us from New College of Florida, it is time to delineate our campus identity while continuing to share facilities with NCF.

• This site is the best taxpayer value. We can use the existing library, conference center, recreational facilities and classrooms. Moving elsewhere would cost millions more in construction or renovations.

• While USF remains very interested in the Tropicana facility in Bradenton for selected research purposes, it is not a suitable site for the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. We serve both counties and need to be near the county line. With the cooperation of our higher education partners NCF, FSU and Ringling School of Art, we are creating an education and cultural corridor along U.S. 41 that will be a source of pride to all residents.

• We have taken extraordinary measures to preserve coastal scrub, protect gopher tortoises on site and blend our architecture with the Crosley Mansion and historic entranceway. According to our experts, the 6-acre preserve will sustain the resident species while preserving the beautiful stand of Southern slash pines. The plan provides a generous 50-foot buffer to our neighbors with 80% opacity. The Governor and Cabinet, as well as our own consultants, pressed hard to blend the needs of our students with environmental protection measures.

• The new facility will accommodate growth. Adding daytime classes to our current nighttime schedule spreads usage throughout the day. We own additional property along U.S. 41 and have plans to expand in South Sarasota County. We have no desire or need to acquire neighborhood property.

Finally, I must protect the integrity of the Master Plan process. There were no secret meetings in Tallahassee, as some allege. All parties were asked to respond to the March 2 draft. Earlier proposals by petitioners would have damaged the historic Crosley entranceway, compromised pedestrian safety and destroyed old growth pines. Our environmental consultant offered advice to protect the less than 20 diseased gopher tortoises. If this changed the final resolution, it is because the data supported it. Both sides had equal access to the Governor and Cabinet.

We’ve taken extraordinary care to strike a balance among all interests, including economic development, educational opportunity, protecting the environment and finding a good taxpayer value. The defining interest must be service to our students.

I ask that we unite our community as one voice to the Florida Legislature in support of our campus center.