Opinion: Tensions at USF

Real autonomy for the University of South Florida's St. Petersburg campus depends less on formal accreditation procedures than on the building of trust among USF administrators and faculty in Tampa and St. Petersburg. The process of achieving separate accreditation for USF St. Petersburg will take at least a couple of academic years, if it succeeds at all. In the meantime, though, nothing prevents USF president Judy Genshaft from taking immediate steps to ease the tensions -- some of which she inherited, but many of which she has unwisely brought on herself -- within USF, and between USF and the communities it serves.

First, Genshaft needs to be candid and consistent in explaining her plans for bringing greater independence to USF St. Petersburg. So far, she has succeeded only in confusing and alarming the USF St. Petersburg community, which has seen a lot of vague promises of increased autonomy broken over the years. Second, she needs to carry out a truly open national search for a new leader for USF St. Petersburg whose academic credentials and administrative independence are beyond dispute. The timing and manner of Genshaft's decision this month to remove longtime USF St. Petersburg leader Bill Heller only added to concerns about her commitment to autonomy. Third, Genshaft needs to follow through on promises made last year to give USF St. Petersburg administrators greater authority over budgets, personnel and curriculum while the accreditation process goes forward.

The mandate to seek separate accreditation for the St. Petersburg campus was the result of a political deal forced on Genshaft by legislative leaders last year. That forced compromise was preferable to politicians' original efforts to make the St. Petersburg campus a wholly separate institution, but it did not anticipate the hurdles that would have to be overcome to win accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

For months, Genshaft and those speaking for her downplayed the difficulty of winning separate accreditation for USF St. Petersburg. They denied that a sternly worded initial report from SACS earlier this year reflected any special problems with USF's unusual proposal. After being summoned to Atlanta to meet with SACS officials in May, they said they had answered most of SACS' concerns.

Now, though, Genshaft is saying SACS "strongly discouraged" USF from seeking accreditation for the St. Petersburg campus. It's a little late in the process to start being candid about the problems the accreditation effort faces. Genshaft compounded her problems last week by sending contradictory signals about her plans. First, she made the reasonable suggestion that she might seek alternate ways of bringing greater autonomy to USF St. Petersburg, including seeking accreditation for individual programs. A day later, she said she was still fully committed to seeking campuswide accreditation.

Nothing excuses such double talk, but Genshaft has been whipsawed by area politicians for more than a year. The politicians should understand by now that some of their original demands for USF St. Petersburg are academically unfeasible. Genshaft and other USF leaders are capable of crafting a plan to fulfill the St. Petersburg campus' great potential, if only they are given the breathing room to get the job done. In fact, the current controversy diverts attention from the notable progress that has been made on the growing, vibrant St. Petersburg campus in the past year. The politicians need to back off -- and Genshaft needs to step forward to restore credibility to her effort to bring real autonomy to USF St. Petersburg.

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