Regional chancellor decides to stay put

By Times Staff Writer
Published November 16, 2007

USF ST. PETERSBURG

Karen White, regional chancellor at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, withdrew her name from consideration Thursday for the presidency of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She interviewed for the job on Monday.

White, 56, one of five finalists for the job, thanked University of Louisiana system president Sally Clausen in a three-paragraph letter for the opportunity to interview for the position.

White also informed USF St. Petersburg faculty of her decision, saying in an e-mail "I look forward to working with the entire campus community as we plan our future."

TAMPA

Local leaders hear advice on light rail

Local leaders who want to bring light rail to the Tampa Bay area are looking at Denver as a model, so the head of Denver's rail system dropped in on the Tampa City Council to offer some words of wisdom Thursday.

Some Tampa and St. Petersburg-area officials hope to eventually convince voters to approve a local sales tax for rail, the way Denver did a few years ago.

Cal Marsella, director of Denver's Regional Transit District and a leading expert on light rail, gave local officials this advice: If they really want the public to pay for this, they'll need a plan that offers something to every corner of the region.

"People said it'll never work, this is a car-dependent area," Marsella said. But he added that once the first trains began to run, people's agenda became: "When do I get mine?"

Corrections

-The names of dancers Katrina Asmar and Loralinde Wright were reversed in a photo caption that appeared in Weekend on Thursday.

-Kurt Ruby is a copper sculptor. A headline in Weekend gave different mediums.

[Last modified November 15, 2007, 23:45:16]