November 3 Wednesday Lecture Series: FAU, Scripps and Regional Planning

On Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM at the FAU Downtown Campus, room HEC 1110A-B, the Wednesday Lecture Series is proud to present the President of Florida Atlantic University and former Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Frank Brogan. Refreshments will be served and guests are welcome.

This event represents the continued commitment to academic and professional excellence SURP and FAPS have made with the Wednesday Lectures. FAPS is proud have the FAU Association of Doctoral Students in Public Administration (ADSPA) as a co sponsor of this event. By working together to plan this event, both FAPS and ADSPA seek to build a bridge between the multiple, closely related disciplines that are reflected in our college and in our professions. By acknowledging this relationship, both organizations hope to make the pursuit and examination of the public interest something that is of the highest priority - for not only the faculty but also the students in the College.

As you may recall, our lecture series theme this year is “Planning in the New Millennium”. Few challenges faced by policy makers and planners in the Twenty-first Century are as daunting as the concept of regional planning. "Regionalism" has become a very hot topic in planning circles and is seen to be the key to many of Florida's planning woes.  While this concept has been successful in other areas in the U.S. and throughout the world, Florida presents a unique case. It will be one of the first areas where fiercely independent local governments will have to come into agreement about what problems and issues are interconnected and how they will be addressed in order to maintain and improve the quality of life in the region.

President Brogan will address the issue of regionalism in South Florida as well as FAU’s role in bringing the Scripps Research Institute to South Florida.

Frank T. Brogan became the fifth President of Florida Atlantic University in March 2003. Before becoming President of FAU, he served as the 15th Lieutenant Governor of the State of Florida.

Elected in 1994 as Florida's youngest Commissioner of Education, President Brogan made his mark as a staunch supporter of higher academic standards, the development of second chance or alternative schools and the right for teachers to remove disruptive students from their classrooms. His most important legacy as Commissioner was bringing greater accountability to Florida schools.

During his tenure as Lt. Governor, he was the legislative liaison for Governor Jeb Bush and helped ensure that "promises kept" can be stamped on the platform issues on which he and the Governor ran. The outcomes of policies implemented during President Brogan's tenure as Lt. Governor include reduction of violent crime to a 28-year low in 2000; environmental protection including the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan; serving the needs of Florida's most vulnerable citizens, especially our children, frail elders and the developmentally disabled and tax relief of nearly $6 billion.

FAU and the College of Architecture and Urban and Public Affairs (CAUPA) in particular, have a bonus with President Brogan: in addition to being a dynamic leader of the university, he offers extraordinary insight into the workings of state government.

The Lecture

With locations throughout South Florida, FAU plays a vital role in defining the region. President Brogan is in a unique position to address the potential regional impact FAU will have on  Florida in the upcoming decade – not only through the growing campuses, but also through its association with the Scripps bio-medical research facilities.  While the ultimate location of the facility is still unclear, the massive Scripps research facility appears poised to become a part of the South Florida region. FAU is in, what could be, a once-in-a-lifetime position to forge a relationship with this company benefiting the university, the students, Scripps and the region.

Because of the staggering amount of public money involved, the impact Scripps will have on existing land use policy and infrastructure, and many unanswered questions that exist, Scripps represents perhaps the largest and most important issue facing regional planning in South Florida today.

For more about regional planning in South Florida, a publication by the Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions (CUES) entitled Regional Shift – South Florida in Transition can be found on the CUES site: http://www.catanese.org.

Information on Scripps can be found on the Palm Beach County website: http://www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/SRI/home01.shtml

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about your community and the specific issues planners are faced with today.

For more information call Bill Nemser (561) 702-5666 or e-mail Wnemser@fau.edu.