Advocating for Higher Education

The Partnership recognizes that universities and colleges are critical to the success of any urban center.  Downtown campuses bring vitality to city streets, build a workforce for the future and inspires innovation and entrepreneurship.  We support the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, USF College of Marine Science, and St. Petersburg College along with other institutions of higher education as a bridge between higher ed and the business community. 

• Funding for Marine Science Initiatives – The Partnership continued to fund the Innovation District, supported scholarships and endowments for the USF College of Marine Science and provided property management support for downtown’s US Geologic Survey labs. The Partnership also coordinated a site visit with business and academic leaders to the Superior Fresh Aquaculture in Wisconsin to evaluate opportunities for St. Petersburg companies. 
• Higher Education Communication - In partnership with the Tampa Bay Times, the Partnership produced advertorials in Florida Trend (circ. 54,230) and Business Florida magazines (circ. 80,000) focused on the USF College of Marine Science and USF St. Petersburg as critical elements to the success of our urban center. 
• Sunny Side Up Speakers Series –In conjunction with the Kate Tiedemann College of Business at USFSP, the Partnership launched new speaker series to help our community plan for trends in climate, technology and demography that will shape our future. We have explored smart city technology, futuristic medicine, autonomous vehicles, big data, rising oceans and digital security. 
• Advocacy for St. Pete College, USF College of Marine Science and USFSP – The Partnership uses political capital and a professional lobbying team to advocate of St. Petersburg’s colleges and universities at the Florida legislature.  We know that a strong collegiate presence is critical to our continued success as an urban center.