Questions mounting about USF Polytechnic's Marshall Goodman

Questions are mounting about the future of USF Polytechnic Chancellor Marshall Goodman a week after state officials delayed a request to make the Polk County school an independent university.

A state senator said Goodman, an independence backer, should step down after rebuffing a request for an audit of Polytechnic spending.

Another defended Goodman and asked for an investigation of University of South Florida officials who opposed its independence.

And on Thursday, the USF Poly faculty senate formally stated it had "no confidence" in Goodman and affirmed its confidence in USF President Judy Genshaft.

Earlier in the day, Genshaft had addressed a general meeting of the USF Poly faculty.

Thursday night, Goodman issued a statement, saying he was prepared to guide the campus through its transition to becoming an independent university.

"I fully recognize this is a change in direction and understand the apprehension of the faculty," he said in the statement. "While I'm concerned by the faculty's vote and take it very seriously, I am confident that we can continue to work together in our mission to provide the very best teaching and learning resources for our students and our region.

"I am committed to transparency and collaboration – and will be throughout this entire transition."   

Sens. Mike Fasano of New Port Richey and Paula Dockery of Lakeland, both Republicans, asked Genshaft two weeks ago to audit Polytechnic. She said she couldn't because of a state law giving USF campuses financial autonomy.

They asked Goodman for the audit, but he refused, saying the campus had already been audited.

On Wednesday, they repeated the request, writing that the audits didn't "address all expenditures, nor do they rise to the level of detail that is necessary to dispel concerns."

Fasano said Goodman should resign. "When you can't be transparent and deliver documents that have been requested….then it's time for you to move on."

Sen. JD Alexander, the Lake Wales Republican who heads the Senate Budget Committee, defended Goodman in a letter to the state Board of Governors on Wednesday, asking that USF be investigated.

The board voted last week to delay Poly's independence until it meets several benchmarks, putting Genshaft over the transition. But board members castigated Goodman over the rising cost of campus building plans.

Alexander wrote that USF approved the architect and misled the board about its role.

Genshaft wrote the board on Thursday, saying that USF "prides itself on transparent operations that follow or exceed BOG and statutory requirements.  We are fully committed to implementing the BOG criteria that was stipulated at the November 9th meeting."