Florida Polytechnic University

Coordinates: 28°08′41.2″N 81°51′03.1″W / 28.144778°N 81.850861°W / 28.144778; -81.850861

Florida Polytechnic University

Other name	Florida Poly
Type	Public state university
Established	April 20, 2012 (2012-04-20)[1] (7008120679200000000♠3 years, 301 days ago)
Chairman	R. Mark Bostick
President	Randy K. Avent
Provost	Elhami Nasr
Academic staff	59 [2]
Administrative staff	105 [3]
Students	924 (Fall 2015) [4]
Location	Lakeland, Florida, United States
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Royal Purple
Mascot	Phoenix
Affiliations	State University System of Florida
Website	https://floridapolytechnic.org

Florida Polytechnic University (Florida Poly) is a public university in Lakeland, Florida, United States. Florida Poly is the newest member institution of the State University System of Florida, and is the state's only public polytechnic university. In 2012, the Florida State Legislature created the school, the state's 12th public university, while dissolving the University of South Florida Polytechnic campus. Florida Poly was created with an entrepreneurial focus, concentrating on the applied, not theoretical, side of the core STEM disciplines.^[5]

Florida Poly resides on a new 170-acre^[6] campus designed by architect Santiago Calatrava that features a 160,000-square-foot Innovation, Science and Technology (IST) Building. The IST Building is home to the University’s Supercomputer,^[7] 3-D printing lab, cyber gaming and media lab, cyber security lab, robotics lab, big data lab, and digital library. Florida Poly is the first university whose main library is totally digital.^[8]

Florida Poly opened for classes on August 25, 2014 with an inaugural class of 554 students.^[9] The university submitted its initial application for regional accreditation in December 2014.^[10] Regional accrediting agencies do not permit institutions to make predictions about accreditation dates, but Florida Statutes do require Florida Poly to reach accreditation by December 31, 2016.^[11]

History

The east side of the IST Building at Florida Polytechnic University on February 4th 2014

The University of South Florida opened its satellite campus in Lakeland in 1988. University of South Florida Polytechnic initially shared its grounds with the Lakeland campus of Polk Community College (now Polk State College). By the 2000s it had grown to enroll under 2,000 students, and the local business owners secured state funding for a separate campus, eventually choosing a site near Interstate 4. In 2009 Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava was selected to design the campus' first building.^[12]

Meanwhile, the institution's backers, most prominently Florida State Senator JD Alexander, initiated a secret campaign to break USF Polytechnic away from USF and form an independent university. In 2011, Alexander forced a 2012-13 state budget that took from USF their $33 million budget for the move.^[13][14] Like the acquisition of the new campus, the proposed split was controversial in some quarters, as it came during a tight budget year and was unpopular with USF students and faculty.^[15] In response to Alexander's proposal, the Florida Board of Governors approved a multi-year plan to allow Florida Polytechnic to gain independence gradually once it met certain criteria, including accreditation, the construction of residence halls, and the development of a STEM curriculum.^[16] Displeased with the Board's compromise, Alexander introduced a new budget for the state universities that included immediate independence from USF Polytechnic, effectively bypassing the Board of Governors.^[17]

On April 20, 2012, Governor Rick Scott signed into law Alexander's budget for the State University System, including the provision that created Florida Polytechnic University as an independent institution, and closed down USF Polytechnic. The law took effect on July 1, 2012.^[18][19] In a letter that accompanied the signed legislation (SB 1994^[20]) creating Florida Poly, Scott noted that Florida Poly, with its strong focus on STEM programs, will be a key component of the State University System of Florida meeting the goals outlined in its 2012-2015 Strategic Plan. The strategic plan requires the State University System to increase STEM degree production from 9,605 to 22,500 per year by 2025.^[11]

Academics

The university houses two colleges that offer six baccalaureate programs, two master's programs and 19 areas of concentration.^[21] Curriculums and classroom facilities are designed to facilitate hands-on, applied learning, and degree programs are focused on preparing students for STEM-related careers.^[22]

Colleges

• College of Innovation and Technology
• College of Engineering

Demographics

The Inaugural Class of students at Florida Poly had an average incoming GPA of 3.9 and test scores of 1750 on the SAT and 25 on the ACT.^[23]

Industry partnerships

Florida Poly collaborates with more than 80 high-tech corporate, government and non-government organizations that provide guidance on curriculum development, assist with research and offer internship opportunities that stress real-world experience.^[24] Industry partners include Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Mosaic, Cisco and Harris Corporation.^[25]

Research

The Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research (FIPR) Institute is a Florida Poly research institution. The FIPR institute supports phosphate-related studies to improve the environment, protect public health and increase mining and processing efficiency. FIPR Institute’s staff biologists, engineers and chemists also conduct in-house research, and the institute supports some non-phosphate topics such as energy and the mining and processing of other minerals.^[26]

Campus

Florida Poly’s 170-acre campus includes the Innovation, Science and Technology (IST) Building, a residence hall, admissions center, campus control center and Wellness Center. The Wellness Center includes a bookstore, health clinic, fitness room, mail center, dining hall and Starbucks Coffee.^[27]

IST Building

The 162,000-square-foot IST Building is the University’s main facility. It houses 26 classrooms, 11 innovation laboratories, auditoriums and other meeting rooms.^[28] The building is also home to the school’s digital library.

Designed by Spanish architect Dr. Santiago Calatrava, the building includes 94 robotic louvers on the roof that move to accommodate changing sunlight patterns.^[29][30]

Digital Library

Florida Poly’s IST Building includes a bookless library where students can access more than 135,000 digital titles on their choice of reader, tablet or laptop.^[31][32] Students still have access to librarians and a reference desk to receive tutoring, resources and training to manage digital materials.^[33] Hard copy books can be requested on loan from libraries at Florida's 11 other public universities.

Supercomputer and Student Data Center Lab

Florida Poly’s Supercomputer is a high-performance, high-speed and high-capacity IBM computer that is six feet tall and covers the length of the room that it occupies in the IST Building. The Lab allows for high-speed computing, information mapping, academic initiative computing,|data digestion and interactive visualization interfaces.^[7]

Rapid Application Development (RAD) Makerspace Lab

The RAD Makerspace Lab is an interdisciplinary environment with 55 3-D printers, digital scanners, AutoCAD software and RAD technology for software development. This Lab includes core engineering, computer engineering, and computer science fields of study and advanced prototyping and adaptive manufacturing technology and techniques.^[34]

References

External links

• Official website
• Media related to Florida Polytechnic University at Wikimedia Commons

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