USF Sarasota-Manatee campus transfer to New College one step closer to reality
The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill that would transfer the University of Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College of Florida.
New College would gain USFSM’s 11 campus buildings, including the new 100,000 square-foot Atala Hall — USFSM’s first on-campus dormitory. But New College would also be forced to take on the debt that USFSM carries from building the $44 million residence hall and student center.
USFSM also broke ground on a $6.5 million STEM facility in November, which would also be taken over by New College.
After the bill passed, representatives sent it to the Senate, but the bill would need final approval with the state’s budget. If it passes, USFSM would need to start transferring its campus to New College when the bill takes effect in July.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has pushed to reshape the Sarasota-based university from a progressive liberal arts school to a bastion for conservative ideals, included the draft bill when he announced the proposed $117 billion state budget in December.
“The New College Board of Trustees is succeeding in its mission to eliminate indoctrination and re-focus higher education on its classical mission,” DeSantis said in August 2023.
The bill would allow current USFSM students to finish out their degrees and use the Sarasota-Manatee campus while doing so. As a whole, USF has about 50,000 students across its three campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee.
Also included in the House’s proposed budget would be a loss of $23 million in funding for USF, which would instead go to New College, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The news comes as DeSantis and New College leaders have continued to push for a New College expansion, including a recent proposal to take the Ringling Museum of Art from Florida State University.
But DeSantis’s plan for New College has faced criticism, as well. State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orange County, was one of the votes against the bill. On her Instagram, Eskamani posted a video saying the bill felt like the state was “bailing out New College” and expressed doubts about New College’s academic success. “New College at this point is really more of a conservative experiment. It’s not necessarily shifting itself to meet the workforce needs like we see all of our other universities shift towards,” Eskamani said.
USF Board Chair comments on bill’s progress
On Thursday, the House voted 76-28 to pass House Bill 5601 “Higher Education” that outlines the transfer of assets from USFSM to New College. Lawmakers then referred it to the Senate, where it still needs final approval.
USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford posted a response on social media to the Tampa Bay Times’ article about the potential $23 million loss in funding for USF as part of this deal.
“...There is a zero percent chance that this will happen. Zero as in ‘0,’” Weatherford wrote.
When reached for comment about the bill’s progress, a spokesperson for USF sent the Bradenton Herald a statement that Weatherford sent to the USF community on Feb. 16.
“We have been clear that the loss of any funds threatens our priority to protect our people, as they are necessary to pay for a teach-out so current USF Sarasota-Manatee students can finish their degrees on their home campus and for USF Sarasota-Manatee employees’ salaries on another USF campus,” Weatherford said.
Weatherford said the bill was filed after 18 months of conversations between USF and New College Leaders, the Florida Board of Governors, state lawmakers and the Governor’s Office “to assess how our two institutions can expand collaborations and identify additional synergies in our partnership, which has existed for years and includes several shared facilities and services, such as a residence hall and campus security.”
Emails obtained by the Bradenton Herald also showed that USF leaders tried getting the bill into last year’s legislative session.
“It is clear from those conversations that New College’s growth and finding space for New College’s expansion are priorities for the state,” Weatherford continued in the statement. “In addition, our state leaders remain focused on ensuring our colleges and universities operate efficiently and maximize value for Floridians, leading to questions about whether it is efficient to have multiple separately operated, taxpayer-funded campuses of the State University System located approximately one mile from each other.
“The growth of New College and its opportunity to serve the Sarasota and Manatee counties region with additional facilities would also provide a path for USF to reinvest those resources in strategic areas that would further elevate our university and our position in the Association of American Universities.”
