USF Sarasota-Manatee officially merges with campuses in Tampa and St. Petersburg

USF Sarasota-Manatee began its transformation on Wednesday, when it officially merged with the USF campuses in Tampa and St. Petersburg.

The Florida Excellence in Higher Education Act, signed by former Gov. Rick Scott on March 11, 2018, required the campuses to merge under one accreditation by July of this year. Until now, each campus was vetted on its own merits by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The USF system will now operate as one unit with branch campuses. As of Wednesday, the local campus maintained its own budget and advisory board, though its name was tweaked. The word “campus” was added to its title, making it the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus.

The biggest change affected colleges on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. Two of its offerings — the College of Business and the College of Hospitality and Tourism Leadership — were rolled into the Muma College of Business in Tampa.

Sarasota-Manatee’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was rolled into the USF College of Arts and Sciences in Tampa. However, local programs that fell under the former colleges — such as cybersecurity, finance and accounting — are still offered on the Sarasota-Manatee campus, said Karen Holbrook, the regional chancellor.

Holbrook said the difference was that each program is now part of the colleges in Tampa, and local students now have access to all of the programs offered at USF’s three campuses.

For example, she said, Sarasota-Manatee’s hospitality program will become a school within the Muma College of Business. The local program was unique to the area and will now be offered throughout the university system.

“It’s not Tampa’s college of business anymore,” Holbrook said. “It’s our college of business. We’re not losing anything. We’re just gaining.”

Holbrook said her campus offered about 40 undergraduate programs and half a dozen study abroad programs. Under consolidation, local students will have access to more than 200 programs and dozens of travel opportunities.

Having access to the offerings in Tampa and St. Petersburg may benefit local students, but Holbrook said that programs in Sarasota-Manatee would also draw students to the area.

“It isn’t just a churn going north,” she said.

USF Sarasota-Manatee worked hard to gain independence, earning its own accreditation in 2011. The consolidation stoked fears that USF’s local campus would lose its identity and autonomy, but Holbrook was optimistic about the outcomes for local students and community members.

The needs of local employers remained the same, and students can better meet those needs with access to more courses and experiences, the chancellor said, noting the relationship between her campus and local businesses.

“None of those relationships are going away, and we still have over 400 internships located here in the Sarasota-Manatee area,” she said.

During a series of town hall meetings, the faculty at USF Sarasota-Manatee said they were concerned about changes to the tenure and promotion guidelines. On Wednesday, the chancellor said existing faculty would have “a couple of grandfathered years,” while new employees would start under the updated guidelines.

She also said that local employees would report to the administration in Sarasota-Manatee and Tampa, and that educators throughout the system would have a chance to collaborate on projects.

It was unclear what long-term effects the consolidation would have on USF’s three campuses. Would students struggle with transportation to the various programs? Will the higher admission standards deter applicants in Sarasota-Manatee? Will staff find it hard to communicate across multiple campuses?

“We’re all looking on the positive side,” Holbrook said.

This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 5:00 AM.