This is a letter that the Department of Journalism and Digital Communication sent Sept. 23 to Pinellas County legislators and other stakeholders.
By USF St. Petersburg Journalism Faculty
The faculty and staff of USF St. Petersburg’s Department of Journalism & Digital Communication write to express our unanimous concerns about consolidation at USF.
Plans presented by President Steven Currall on Sept. 10 disregard feedback provided by large swaths of the St. Petersburg community and, more alarmingly, ignore legislation designating St. Petersburg as a branch campus.
We ask for your help in urging University leadership to revise a proposal that, as currently formulated, imperils our department and our campus.
Consolidation, as defined in state legislation, can elevate the entire USF System, and we are heartened by the support of all who recognize the unique value the St. Pete campus brings to the University.
The current plan, however, removes academic decision-making from St. Petersburg and eliminates the Journalism Department.
The plan jeopardizes our professional accreditation, which depends on a formally defined unit with academic and budgetary autonomy. It threatens our award-winning independent student newspaper, The Crow’s Nest, which has operated for 50 years. It also undermines the Neighborhood News Bureau, a project that provides students with practical learning experiences in the Midtown community.
Despite declines in journalism programs nationwide, our enrollment is at a five-year high. In the months ahead, we plan to expand projects with our 44 Pinellas-based partners and bring our unique model of community-based journalism from St. Petersburg to Cape Verde.
As one of only four accredited journalism programs in Florida, we seek to establish a Center of Excellence to advance innovation in community and digital journalism.
Our department is thriving, but we need your help in asking USF leadership to adopt a revised plan that:
- Retains a vibrant journalism unit based in St. Petersburg;
- Gives the regional chancellor authority to oversee academics on the USFSP campus;
- Prioritizes distinct departments and schools at USFSP — not only in Business but also in Arts & Sciences and Education; and
- Provides students with a local, autonomous academic support system.
We are committed to excellence in journalism education at USF and have ambitious goals for the future.
That future is now in peril. Please help us make our vision a reality by calling on President Currall and the USF leadership team to follow the letter and intent of the legislation, in the true spirit of consolidation and student success.
Sincerely,
The Faculty and Staff of the Department of Journalism & Digital Communication at USF St. Petersburg
