2016 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Heading the list of funding priorities for the University of Florida again this year are construction projects and facility maintenance. Our specific requests are as follows:
Engineering Nexus Building – $20.5 million
These funds will be used to boost our number of engineering graduates and enhance research that drives economic development.
Norman Hall – $8 million
Listed on the National Historic Registry, the College of Education’s Norman Hall has not been updated in years and has critical maintenance needs. This project would renovate the building, transforming it into modern, efficient teaching space. It would also add space for research and training.
Alec P. Courtelis Facilities Enhancement Program
A historical source of funding for new construction is the Alec Courtelis Facilities, which provided a one‐to‐one match of state funds to contributions from donors. This program was so successful that the legislature could not provide the matching funds during lean budget years and a significant backlog was created. As a result, the legislature in 2011 placed a moratorium on the program and would no longer add projects to the list. UF’s backlog is $28.2 million or 28% of the SUS total backlog of $100.9 million.
Preeminence Funding‐ $10 million
The University of Florida was designated the State of Florida’s most preeminent university in 2013 and provided $15 million a year for five years to move UF into the top ten of public research universities. We've hired nearly 100 distinguished faculty in key areas of science and scholarship with these funds. UF is requesting $10 million to accelerate and expand UF Preeminence.
IFAS Research and extension activities - $9 million
The UF/IFAS is seeking $3.5 million for workload funding; $2.6 million for the beef teaching unit; $1.9 million for information technology support and $1.3 million for detection and rapid response surrounding the early detection of invasive species.
Utilities/Infrastructure/Capital Renewal ‐ $18 million
The University of Florida - the oldest public university in the State with a 36 year average building age - has many buildings that require repairs and renovations. Due to declining PECO revenues and fluctuating appropriations, UF has not been able to keep pace with deteriorating facilities. Funds will help UF address its most serious building maintenance problems.
Florida Energy Systems Consortium - $2.5 million
This consortium was created by the State of Florida to promote collaboration among the energy experts at its 12 supported universities to share energy-related expertise. FESC is seeking $1.5 million for neurodegenerative disease research in the UF Health and $1 milllion for smart tourism research.
The 2016 Legislative Session is January 12 - March 11, 2016.