Synergy a welcome shift in Manatee County higher education

Synergy is the operative word in higher education these days. Rather than compete for students and stature, colleges and universities are uniting to extend their academic reach to best serve communities, economies and ambitions. This innovative collaboration alters the model of higher education, erasing campus borders and morphing schools into what is called a "multiuniversity."

That is happening here in a multitude of constructive ways.

A seamless enrollment process already exists between the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota, New College and the Ringling College of Art & Design. The pilot program, which launched a year or so ago, allows students to expand their knowledge in fields and classes not available at their home institutions and earn credits at the other schools. By pooling each institution's unique resources, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts -- and thus more attractive to prospective students and higher enrollment.

USF Sarasota-Manatee also enjoys a distinct advantage over its three partners -- the ability to harness the power of the USF System. Next fall, the university will debut a partnership with USF Tampa. This new association -- coming just months after USFSM announced the creation of a College of Science & Mathematics by this fall -- lets its students who complete the school's two-year pre-engineering curriculum to automatically qualify for enrollment in USF Tampa to finish their mechanical engineering degree work.

This aligns with USFSM's emphasis on the expansion of science, technology, engineering and math programs, the vaunted STEM disciplines highly valued in today's world.

In another constructive development, Southwest Florida's four premier institutions of higher learning announced early this year a stronger commitment to advancing and formalizing joint projects as well as expanding the existing cross-enrollment arrangements.

Plus, the informal, two-year-old Consortium of Colleges on the Creation Coast -- dubbed the C4 for the four institutions -- has attracted financial support from three community foundations to fuel this initiative.

The consortium also includes Florida State University's programs at the Ringling Museum of Art and Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.

The goal is to boost enrollment and strengthen the area's economy by graduating workforce-ready students with degrees in disciplines prized by employers. This would help prevent a further exodus of young talent, the proverbial brain drain as graduates find more robust and relevant employment opportunities elsewhere.

These collaborations in the higher education world also serve as a business recruitment tool since relocating companies examine the quality and quantity of local college graduates. A deep talent pool is a key to economic development.

USFSM and State College of Florida have been engaged with the region's business community for years in order to identify evolving workforce requirements and meet those needs. This dialogue didn't exist not too many years ago.

The leaders of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation described their $75,000 investment in the C4 initiative as a "no-brainer," demonstrating the community's support for this inspired effort.

The Gulf Coast and Barancik foundations are also supporting another new program intending to boost industry alliances. The University of Florida is forging ahead with plans to locate an engineering-based Innovation Station in Venice, which will also include a new partnership with State College of Florida.

UF's College of Engineering plans to provide a cooperative internship program at its Gainesville campus to serve Sarasota County via community outreach services.

The plan includes creating a SCF engineering degree program that allows students to begin their studies and then matriculate to UF. This mirrors USFSM's partnership with USF Tampa.

The higher education landscape has changed dramatically from the ivory tower days of seclusion and hubris. Today, Southwest Florida is blessed with the enlightened leadership of our colleges and universities, and the evolving world of community synergy.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Synergy a welcome shift in Manatee County higher education ."