The university’s expectations for the years to come.
Ten thousand students in 10 years.
That’s the goal for USF St. Petersburg to nearly double in size by 2025, and to
ultimately become a pedestrian campus by closing off Sixth Avenue S, Second Street and
Third Street.
Changes have already begun. The university is implementing the fiveyear strategic plan,
Vision 20/20, and updating the master plan, as required by Florida law.
Revision of the master plan is led by Joe Trubacz, the regional vice chancellor for
administrative and financial services, and the consulting firm Gould Evans. Plans are
tentative, but are set to be revised in the coming year.
The university plans on increasing the retention rate by heightening the “freshman
experience.” This means more space for students to socialize and relax, as well as a new
dormitory geared toward traditional campus living instead of the apartmentstyle housing
in current dormitories.
In the next 10 years, the university plans to have a total of 1,400 beds on campus.
With the rapid growth planned to the future, Paulien & Associates Inc. conducted a
utilization study and found a limited need for additional classrooms.
Classrooms are used an average of 29 hours per week, well below the Florida guideline
of 40 per week.
Paulien & Associates suggests the university utilize classrooms more efficiently.
Dennis Strait from Gould Evans met with faculty and staff in June and August to discuss
the master plan and get a firsthand look at the wants and needs of the campus.
Faculty have suggested that Davis Hall is outdated and needs renovation and that there is
a need for new and updated biology labs as well as a formal writing center for students.
However, with the growth of the campus there are no plans for expansion of the library,
and the crowded parking garage could mean restricting freshmen who live on campus
from having cars. This is the policy at many large universities.
