SECTION 1004.335. Accreditation consolidation of University of South Florida branch campuses.

• (1) The University of South Florida Consolidation Planning Study and Implementation Task Force is established to develop recommendations to improve service to students by phasing out the separate accreditation of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg branch campus and the University of South Florida Sarasota/Manatee branch campus, which were conferred by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) pursuant to ss. 1004.33 and 1004.34, respectively.
  (2) The task force shall consist of the following members:

  (a) One member appointed by the chair of the Board of Governors who will serve as chair;

  (b) Two members appointed by the President of the Senate;

  (c) Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

  (d) Two members appointed by the chair of the University of South Florida board of trustees;

  (e) One member appointed by the chair of the campus board of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg;

  (f) One member appointed by the chair of the campus board of the University of South Florida Sarasota/Manatee;

  (g) The regional chancellor of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg;

  (h) The regional chancellor of the University of South Florida Sarasota/Manatee;

  (i) The president of the University of South Florida or his or her designee; and

  (j) One student member appointed by the University of South Florida Alumni Association.
  (3) The Board of Trustees shall assign personnel from each campus to staff the task force. The chair of the task force may consult experts in university mergers and consolidations to assist the task force in developing recommendations.
  (4) No later than February 15, 2019, the task force must submit a report to the University of South Florida Board of Trustees which includes, at a minimum, recommendations on the following:

  (a) Identification of specific degrees in programs of strategic significance, including health care, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and other program priorities to be offered at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg branch campus and the University of South Florida Sarasota/Manatee branch campus and the timeline for the development and delivery of programs on each campus;

  (b) Maintaining the unique identity of each campus and an assessment of whether a separate educational mission is beneficial to the future of each campus;

  (c) Maintaining faculty input from all campuses during the review and development of general education requirements to reflect the distinctive identity of each campus;

  (d) Developing the research capacity at each campus;

  (e) Equitable distribution of programs and resources to establish pathways to admission for all students who require bridge programming and financial aid;

  (f) Establishing budget transparency and accountability regarding the review and approval of student fees among campuses, including fee differentials and athletic fees, to enable the identification of the equitable distribution of resources to each campus, including the University of South Florida Health; and

  (g) Developing and delivering integrated academic programs, student and faculty governance, and administrative services to better serve the students, faculty, and staff at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, the University of South Florida Sarasota/Manatee branch campus, and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg branch campus.
  (5) No later than March 15, 2019, the Board of Trustees of the University of South Florida, after considering the recommendations of the task force, must adopt and submit to the Board of Governors an implementation plan that:

  (a) Establishes a timeline for each step that is necessary to terminate the separate accreditation for each campus no later than June 30, 2020, while maintaining branch campus status for both campuses, so that there is no lapse in institutional accreditation for any campus during the phasing-out process.

  (b) Minimizes disruption to students attending the University of South Florida or any of its branch campuses so that the consolidation of SACSCOC accreditation does not impede a student’s ability to graduate within 4 years after initial first-time-in-college enrollment.

  (c) Requires that, on or before July 1, 2020, the entirety of the University of South Florida, including all branch campuses and other component units of the university, operate under a single institutional accreditation from the SACSCOC.

  (d) Requires that, on each regularly scheduled submission date subsequent to July 1, 2020, the University of South Florida report consolidated data for all of the university’s campuses and students to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and to the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors shall use the consolidated data for purposes of determining eligibility for funding pursuant to ss. 1001.7065 and 1001.92. However, if the University of South Florida meets the deadline outlined in paragraph (c) and the University of South Florida Sarasota/Manatee and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg maintain branch campus status as defined in subsection (7), the Board of Governors may not use the consolidated data for purposes of determining eligibility for funding pursuant to s. 1001.7065 until July 1, 2022.

  The Board of Governors shall monitor the fidelity of the implementation of the plan.

  (6) Notwithstanding ss. 1001.7065 and 1001.92 or any Board of Governors regulation to the contrary relating to the calculation of graduation rates and retention rates, a student who meets all of the following criteria may not be counted by the Board of Governors when calculating or confirming the graduation rate or the retention rate of the University of South Florida under those sections:

  (a) The student was admitted to and initially enrolled before the spring 2020 semester as a first-time-in-college student at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg branch campus or the University of South Florida Sarasota/Manatee branch campus.

  (b) The student voluntarily disenrolled from all University of South Florida campuses without graduating before the date of termination of the separate SACSCOC accreditation of his or her admitting campus.
  (7) For purposes of this section, a branch campus is an instructional site located geographically apart and independent of the main campus of the institution. A location is independent of the main campus if the location:

  (a) Is permanent in nature;

  (b) Offers courses in educational programs leading to a degree, diploma, certificate, or other recognized educational credential;

  (c) Has its own faculty and administrative or supervisory organization; and

  (d) Has its own budgetary and hiring authority.
  (8) This section expires July 1, 2020.

History.-s. 9, ch. 2018-4; s. 19, ch. 2019-119.

History.-s. 9, ch. 2018-4; s. 19, ch. 2019-119.