Pictured Above: The college has 2,200 students and 130 faculty members, according to its website.
Courtesy of USF
By Nancy McCann
The USF College of Education will be closed as the university struggles to cut its budget.
Provost Ralph Wilcox announced the stunning development in a meeting with faculty and administrators Wednesday. The university did not immediately release details.
According to USF websites, the Tampa-based college has 2,200 students and 130 faculty members who are spread across four academic departments.
USF St. Petersburg had a College of Education for years. But it was eliminated because of consolidation, and the campus’ education curriculum is now overseen by an associate dean, Brenda Walker.
Undergraduates who are enrolled in the College of Education will reportedly be able to finish their degrees there. But eventually USF will serve only graduate students in a graduate school of education that falls under another college.
On its website, the College of Education says it “offers state-of-the-art teacher training and collaborative and collegial graduate studies designed to empower educational leaders.”
But its undergraduate enrollment reportedly has declined in recent years, making it a casualty as the university works to cut expenses at a time of sharply falling revenue.
This story is ongoing. Stay with crowsneststpete.com for updates.
As an alumnus of USF and the College of Education, I am profoundly saddened today for the state of public education in America..
This is a terrible decision.
The State of Florida’s education system is not sustainable and is spiraling downward rapidly.
Has this been confirmed? I don’t see any other news sources reporting this, and USF hasn’t made an official statement. Can someone point me in the direction of more information?
Hello,
As this is an ongoing story, stay with crowsneststpete.com for more updates.
As an alumna of CED, USF, I am truly sad and disappointed at the news! COE has been offering online teacher ed courses for years and hosting many programs within itself. It also has been providing employment opportunities/tuition wavers for graduate students, making it possible for many of them to pursue their doctoral studies; and yes, I was one of them! I hope public education -universities, colleges, and their faculty – will soon receive the appreciation and support they deserve!
Seeing the undergrad program through my friends, its awful. The teachers are mean and inconsiderate. The teachers talk trash behind one another’s back and they expect unrealistic time devotion for the credit hours. CoE would do fine if they weren’t a garbage program now. Word got out and people want to stay away.
As an alumnus of the College of Education and the SCATT program I am very saddened by this move. At the same time I think it reflects the sad state of the profession here in the state of Florida. It is very hard to recommend to young people to go into education these days with the way teachers are treated, especially in Florida.
Does this apply to the St. Pete location only? Will Tampa still have it’s College of Education?
Hello,
The College of Education is based in Tampa, meaning this affects all campuses.
Does this affect dual enrollment
So sad to see this happening? As an alumnus I’m truly stunned that they would allow this to happen. Guess they are doing a hatchet job like the district superintendent. Tells me a lot about the future of education 😡
As an educator of over 45 years, a past Trustee of USF, a Florida and Tampa native, a donor of two endowed scholarships ( Latino and Sol scholarships) and a donor to several other programs at USF, I am appalled and saddened by the closure of USF College of Education. This decision strikes at the heart of the Tampa Bay area and a Florida. At the time when public education is in crisis and in danger of becoming inconsequential or possibly extinct, this decision impacts the Life Choices of students who would be future educators in our Tampa Bay area and Beyond. Further it illustrates that the University of South Florida is no longer interested in fostering K-12 educators.
I am shocked and disheartened by this news. I earned both an undergrad and master’s degree in education at USFSP and an EdD at USF Tampa. I got a world class education at both campuses and have been a highly successful teacher because of it. To me, USF is integral to the success of the schools in our area. The loss of such an important and effective teacher training program saddens me deeply.
That’s OK the bulls will continue to fund a football program that pre COVID gets about 10,000 people and two wins in an NFL stadium