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This name means change

Mark Rosenberg has led the state university system for a year. And what a year it's been.

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER Times Staff Writer
Published December 26, 2006

Mark Rosenberg has been chancellor of Florida's university system for only a year, but the landscape already looks very different from when he took the job.

New medical schools are planned in Miami and Orlando, and the state has set aside $6.5-million in scholarships for first-generation college students.

Schools have announced several partnerships with research firms, including the University of South Florida's venture with SRI International of California.

More change is likely as ballooning student enrollment forces Rosenberg and other system leaders to ponder the possibility of a 12th university and the role of community colleges in awarding bachelor's degrees. Then there's the perennial struggle over tuition rates and money for campus construction.

Rosenberg, a former provost at Florida International University, recently spoke to the Times about his tenure so far and the busy year ahead.

If you had to sum up your first year in one sentence, what would it be?

Takeoff.

Takeoff? How do you mean?

The board expects me and the professional staff here to improve the quality of the system, and more importantly, to improve the quality of the education our students get. And we have certainly taken steps in the right direction.

We have created Centers of Excellence and secured funding for world-class scholars. We have gotten more financial aid available, particularly for first-generation students. We got more money for facilities and construction than at any time in the past.

And in the past, students always opposed tuition increases. But this year student leaders came out in support because they are realizing that a world-class education is a joint responsibility with the state, the universities and the students. That is a very, very significant step across time.

What's been the best thing about the job?

Probably the fact that, while I'm a political scientist and thought I knew a lot about the policy process, I've learned so much working with legislators. ... And I really enjoy working with students and faculty.

And the hardest thing?

Understanding what's important, and picking the right battles. Adjusting my work style to different groups, like the Legislature, the universities' boards of trustees, and of course the Board of Governors.

What's been the biggest surprise since you became chancellor?

I found a fair amount of hostility toward the Board of Governors, coming from individuals who had been engaged in creating a K-20 system and who had essentially shut down the Board of Regents (the governing body that preceded the Governors). I encountered a fear that the Board of Regents was back.

What do you consider the biggest achievement this year?

First-generation matching grants, to me, is a watershed. My gosh, it's not as much scholarship money as we would like. But to begin to send the message that our university system is open to all walks of life is so important.

I think the second thing is the willingness of the political leadership to invest in Centers of Excellence and to underwrite our recruitment of world-class scholars. I think there is an underlying recognition that our universities' success, and education, is crucial to the success of the state's economy.

And I think the Board of Governors made a courageous decision to expand medical education, not just with new schools but in the existing ones. That was a very important decision.

What didn't the university system accomplish that you had hoped to get done and will focus on this year?

First of all, we need to have stronger working relationships with the local boards of trustees at universities. ... There's the questions over baccalaureate degrees, and the concern about duplication with community colleges.

We also recognize that we've got to have a strategic vision for the structure and organization of the system. We've got to deal with the size of our public institutions, and the number of branch campuses, and whether we need a 12th university.

Fast Facts:

Meet the chancellor

Mark Rosenberg

Age: 57

Family: Married with two children. Son Benjamin attends Florida International University in Miami. Daughter Ginelle attends high school in Tallahassee.

Education: 1971 graduate of Miami University of Ohio. Received his doctorate in political science and a graduate certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from the University of Pittsburgh in 1976.

Career: He founded FIU's Latin American and Caribbean Center after arriving at FIU in 1976. In 1994, he was named founding dean of FIU's College of Urban and Public Affairs. He became vice provost for international studies in 2004, and served as provost from 1998 to 2005.

[Last modified December 26, 2006, 05:58:24]