Though executive officer Bill Heller is leaving, his work has created a solid foundation from which USF St. Petersburg can grow into a more independent campus.

Bill Heller is stepping down as the leader of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, and he deserves the gratitude of his university and his community for the job he has done in leading the school through some difficult times and bringing its resources to bear on some of the city's poorest neighborhoods. During the 10 years he has served as the campus' top administrator, Heller has had to contend with meddling politicians and others, including administrators on the main USF campus in Tampa, whose agenda did not always have the best interest of his school at heart. Under his leadership, the St. Petersburg campus has seen an enrollment and construction boom and a steady improvement in the institution's academic reputation. The university can take pride in the quality of faculty and students it attracts these days.

Although the timing of his departure and the way it was forced by USF president Judy Genshaft and the local board of trustees made for an awkward exit for the popular, 66-year-old Heller, even some of his biggest fans acknowledge that USF St. Petersburg is ready for new leadership as it moves toward autonomy and greater independence from the Tampa campus.

As Heller would be the first to admit, what is important is not the fate of any individual administrator but the future of the university, and he has laid a solid foundation on which the St. Petersburg campus can build a proud institution of higher education. What the university needs in this period of transition is stability and new leadership that understands that there can be no going back to the days when Tampa administrators exhibited a paternalistic attitude toward St. Petersburg -- a relationship that shortchanged the St. Petersburg campus in the distribution of resources and finally brought about heavy-handed intervention by state legislators.

It would be unfortunate if Heller's departure revives some of the destructive tension that for too long characterized the relationship between the Tampa and St. Petersburg campuses. On Tuesday the St. Petersburg City Council expressed its displeasure with Genshaft by deciding to end its consideration of a proposal to lease the Bayfront Center to USF St. Petersburg. The university was interested in exploring the idea, even though it wasn't clear anything would come of the proposal. However, the council's decision to take it off the table was a petulant, emotional reaction that could hurt the institution Heller has devoted himself to for more than a decade.

In the coming weeks, Genshaft should take care not to send the wrong signals across the bay. The St. Petersburg faculty, many of whom are unhappy with and unsettled by the handling of Heller's departure, are concerned that Genshaft may choose one of her Tampa administrators as Heller's interim replacement while she and the board of trustees conduct a nationwide search for a permanent successor. Some even worry that Genshaft's choice of a replacement will feel greater allegiance to her than to St. Petersburg's drive for autonomy. She will have to address this lack of trust by demonstrating that she has no hidden agenda in replacing Heller.

In a letter to the St. Petersburg faculty on Wednesday, Genshaft tried to allay their concerns and reassure them that she has no intention of trying to change the governance structure or undermine the goal of autonomy for the 4,000-student campus in downtown St. Petersburg.

The change in leadership comes at a time when the St. Petersburg campus is seeking separate accreditation from USF Tampa. To gain that accreditation, it will have to prove its autonomy from Tampa in finances, curriculum and promotions, among other things. We don't see the need to a rush toward separate accreditation. Some day USF St. Petersburg may become an independent state university, but for the foreseeable future, its interests will be best served by being an autonomous branch of one of the state's three research universities.

Meanwhile, the best way for USF faculty, students and community supporters to honor Bill Heller is to build on his legacy.

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