Chancellor fills four seats, begins construction on the Kate Tiedemann College of Business and searches for a location for a new residence hall.
The regional chancellor of USF St. Petersburg has a vision.
Sophia Wisniewska, 63, has been implementing goals from the Vision 20/20 Strategic Plan, a five year project focused on student success, sustainable funding, infrastructure and strategic partnerships.
This school year will see big changes.
The university will be conducting four major searches this year to fill positions for the dean of the Kate Tiedemann College of Business, regional vice chancellor of academic affairs, vice chancellor for student affairs and a dean of libraries.
Wisniewska did not comment on the abrupt resignation of Han Reichgelt, former regional vice chancellor of academic affairs. His resignation took place over spring break of 2015, a few months after he canceled the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists due to the Ebola outbreak. The event was scheduled to host 14 journalists from various African countries. Reichgelt went through a sensitivity training shortly after. Although Reichgelt resigned from his position, he is teaching an online graduate course this fall.
Wisniewska plans to increase first time and graduate student enrollment to improve the retention rate, as many students leave the university because certain majors are not offered. “Having a larger student body gives us the resources to be able to respond to those requests that students and faculty have been presenting to us,” she said.
The university is updating the master plan and looking at space utilization to see where the campus has the capacity to grow. For students, this could mean Friday classes, but more importantly, a place to live.
“This year we are overflowing,” she said regarding the university’s student housing. “100 students are going to be living at the Hilton.”
USFSP has eyed three possible locations for a third residence hall, but the university has not closed in on a location or construction timeline yet. Bayboro Harbor, Albert Whitted Airport and the growth of downtown St. Petersburg limit the expansion of the university.
“We are on the water, so FEMA says ‘go higher.’ We are across from Whitted, so FAA says ‘go lower,’” Wisniewska said.
However, the university has found opportunities to expand the campus.
The university purchased 3.7 acres from the Poynter Institute for Media Studies for $6.2 million on Fourth Street S. Part of the land acquired from Poynter is being used for the staging of the construction for the Kate Tiedemann College of Business.
On one of the adjacent lots, the university plans to renovate an old bus depot and construct three to five science labs for biology majors. Wisniewska said the labs will be finished in time for the Spring Semester.
Harbor Hall, the center for verbal and visual arts, will be be renovated to include a small auditorium, classrooms for graphic design and writing students, and offices for faculty. The building is set to be completed in January.
“We invite student participation,” Wisniewska said.
Wisniewska said the new tennis and volleyball courts are a result of student requests. With more recent student requests, the university looked into alternative ways to fix the pool and with the use of new technology, the pool was fixed with a fraction of the cost than originally quoted.
The importance of community and engagement, is something the chancellor strives for, especially for first year students.
“Students say they want to feel at home, like they are part of a family,” she said.
