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The Lady Is A Champ

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 4, 2008

For most of the past 20 years, Carolyn Roberts has helped oversee Florida's university system. She has fought plenty of battles, but always on the side of what she thought was best for Florida's students.

Roberts' term as chairwoman of the Board of Governors ended the other day, and she turned the reigns over to another no-nonsense, eagle-eyed advocate for a thriving university system, Sheila McDevitt of Tampa. Roberts will remain a member of the Board of Governors until at least 2010.

Yet Florida should not let this passing of the gavel occur without a tip of the hat to Roberts, who never forgot the universities exist to educate students and help fuel the state's economic growth.

Unlike many in power, Roberts, who was first appointed to the Board of Regents in 1989, is not shy about admitting mistakes. She led the campaign against the formation of the current Board of Governors under former Gov. Jeb Bush, but once appointed to the newly formed board soon rose to become a champion for a strengthened and independent university system.

Her last months at the helm of the Board of Governors were spent trying to preserve the voter-mandated board from a shameless legislative power grab. The system survived intact, but now is plunged into a devastating financial crisis that has other states raiding Florida campuses of their best and brightest minds.

The resolve of this board has never been more important.

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