HB 1143

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the University of South Florida
3	Lakeland; creating s. 1004.345, F.S.; establishing and
4	designating the University of South Florida Lakeland
5	campus; providing legislative intent; requiring the Board
6	of Trustees to appoint a Campus Board; providing
7	membership, powers, and duties of the Campus Board;
8	providing that the university is administered by a Campus
9	Executive Officer; requiring the President of the
10	University of South Florida to consult with the Campus
11	Board before hiring or terminating the Campus Executive
12	Officer; providing duties and powers of the Campus
13	Executive Officer; providing that students enrolled at a
14	branch campus of the university have the same rights as
15	other students; requiring the University of South Florida
16	to provide for a system of student registration that meets
17	certain conditions; providing an effective date.
18
19	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21	Section 1.  Section 1004.345, Florida Statutes, is created
22	to read:
23	1004.345  The University of South Florida Lakeland.--
24	(1)  The Lakeland campus of the University of South Florida
25	is established and shall be known as the "University of South
26	Florida Lakeland."
27	(a)  The Legislature intends that the University of South
28	Florida Lakeland be operated and maintained as a separate
29	organizational and budget entity of the University of South
30	Florida, and that all legislative appropriations for the
31	University of South Florida Lakeland be set forth as separate
32	line items in the annual General Appropriations Act.
33	(b)  The University of South Florida Lakeland shall have a
34	Campus Board and a Campus Executive Officer.
35	(c)  The Legislature intends that the University of South
36	Florida Lakeland operate under separate accreditation from the
37	Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges
38	and Schools when separate accreditation is in the best interest
39	of the campus. The Campus Board shall ensure that sufficient
40	student enrollment, faculty, and administration are in place
41	before requesting that the Board of Trustees of the University
42	of South Florida apply for separate accreditation for the
43	University of South Florida Lakeland. Upon approval by the Board
44	of Trustees of the University of South Florida, the President of
45	the University of South Florida shall begin the application
46	process for separate accreditation on behalf of the Board of
47	Trustees of the University of South Florida. If the application
48	is not approved, or is provisionally approved, the President of
49	the University of South Florida shall correct any identified
50	deficiencies and shall continue to work for separate
51	accreditation.
52	(2)  The Board of Trustees of the University of South
53	Florida shall appoint, from a list of candidates recommended by
54	the President of the University of South Florida, four residents
55	of the Lakeland campus service area to serve on the Campus
56	Board. The fifth member of the Campus Board shall be selected by
57	the Board of Trustees of the University of South Florida from
58	among its membership, and that trustee shall serve jointly as a
59	member of the Board of Trustees of the University of South
60	Florida and the Campus Board. A trustee who serves jointly on
61	the Campus Board must be a resident of the Lakeland campus
62	service area, unless none of the appointed members of the Board
63	of Trustees of the University of South Florida meet this
64	criteria, in which case any trustee may be appointed to serve
65	jointly on the Campus Board. The Board of Trustees of the
66	University of South Florida shall ensure, to the greatest extent
67	possible, that each county in the Lakeland campus service area
68	is represented among the membership of the Campus Board. Each
69	member of the Campus Board shall be appointed to a 4-year term
70	and may be reappointed for one additional 4-year term. However,
71	for purposes of staggering the terms of the initial appointees,
72	the Board of Trustees of the University of South Florida shall
73	select and appoint one member to serve a term of 1 year, one
74	member to serve a term of 2 years, and one member to serve a
75	term of 3 years, each of whom may be reappointed to a subsequent
76	4-year term. The Campus Board has the powers and duties provided
77	by law, which include the authority to:
78	(a)  Review and approve an annual legislative budget
79	request to be submitted to the Board of Trustees of the
80	University of South Florida. The Campus Executive Officer shall
81	prepare the legislative budget request in accordance with
82	guidelines established by the Board of Governors of the State
83	University System. This request must include items for campus
84	operations and fixed capital outlay.
85	(b)  Approve and submit an annual operating plan and budget
86	for review and consultation by the Board of Trustees of the
87	University of South Florida. The campus operating budget must
88	reflect the actual funding available to that campus from
89	separate line-item appropriations contained in each annual
90	General Appropriations Act. Such line-item appropriations must
91	initially reflect the funds reported to the Legislature for the
92	University of South Florida Lakeland campus for the 2007-2008
93	fiscal year and any additional funds provided in the legislative
94	appropriation for the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
95	(c)  Enter into central support services contracts with the
96	Board of Trustees of the University of South Florida for any
97	services that the Lakeland campus cannot provide more
98	economically, including payroll processing, accounting,
99	technology, construction administration, and other desired
100	services. However, all legal services for the campus must be
101	provided by a central services contract with the university. The
102	Board of Trustees of the University of South Florida and the
103	Campus Board shall determine in a letter of agreement any
104	allocation or sharing of student fee revenue between the
105	University of South Florida's main campus and the Lakeland
106	campus.
107
108	The Board of Trustees of the University of South Florida may
109	lawfully delegate other powers and duties to the Campus Board
110	for the efficient operation and improvement of the campus and
111	for the purpose of vesting in the campus the attributes
112	necessary to meet the requirements for separate accreditation by
113	the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
114	(3)  The University of South Florida Lakeland shall be
115	administered by a Campus Executive Officer who shall be
116	appointed by, report directly to, and serve at the pleasure of
117	the President of the University of South Florida. The President
118	shall consult with the Campus Board before hiring or terminating
119	the Campus Executive Officer. The Campus Executive Officer has
120	authority and responsibility as provided in law, including the
121	authority to:
122	(a)  Administer campus operations within the annual
123	operating budget as approved by the Campus Board.
124	(b)  Recommend to the Campus Board an annual legislative
125	budget request that includes funding for campus operations and
126	fixed capital outlay.
127	(c)  Recommend to the Campus Board an annual campus
128	operating budget.
129	(d)  Recommend to the Campus Board appropriate services and
130	terms and conditions to be included in annual central support
131	services contracts.
132	(e)  Carry out any additional responsibilities assigned or
133	delegated by the President of the University of South Florida
134	for the efficient operation and improvement of the campus,
135	especially any authority necessary for the purpose of vesting in
136	the campus attributes necessary to meet the requirements for
137	separate accreditation.
138	(4)  Students enrolled at the University of South Florida,
139	including those enrolled at a branch campus, have the same
140	rights and obligations as provided by law, policy, or rule
141	adopted by the University of South Florida, the Board of
142	Governors of the State University System, the Department of
143	Education, or any other lawful entity. The University of South
144	Florida shall provide a comprehensive and coordinated system of
145	student registration so that a student enrolled at any campus of
146	the University of South Florida has the ability to register for
147	courses at any other campus of the University of South Florida.
148	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.