News Briefs
Written by Crow's Nest Staff, Sep 17, 2012, 0 Comments
On Campus
U.S. News and World Report ranked USF St. Petersburg the 30th best public university in the south. The 2013 list was released last week.
Last year, USFSP appeared on the report for the first time at number 36.
U.S. News and World report factors in student retention, financial aid accessibility, peer assessment, quality of faculty and alumni giving when calculating the rankings.
Interim Regional Chancellor Bill Hogarth said the school is “really on the move,” adding the ranking is the “latest example” of recent progress.
USFSP ranked 67 out of the southern regional universities.
Around the Burg
Will St. Petersburg taxpayers end up paying for RNC-related expenses? After weeks of banter between Mayor Bill Foster and the press, the question is still largely unanswered.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Foster still hasn’t given an exact figure on what the city spent preparing and recovering from the welcome party at Tropicana Field last month. Two weeks ago, Foster sent the city council a memo outlining $580,000 of convention expenses, on top of the $1 million spent on security and expected to be reimbursed by a federal grant. The following day, Foster said taxpayers will not be paying for the party at the Trop.
During a public hearing Thursday night, residents voiced concern about the city paying for the welcome party. When pressed by city council for a figure, Foster said to expect some security costs will not be covered, such as officer training for crowd control.
“Cities don’t get reimbursed for that. That’s just what cities do,” Foster said.
The next budget meeting is set for Sept. 27. The fiscal year ends Sept. 30, and the city is $5.2 million in the red.
