Florida State University’s Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins brought a group of local business leaders up to speed Monday about FSU’s changing landscape and its 2020-2030 Campus Master Plan initiatives on the horizon.
While a good chunk of Collins’ talking points referred to the ongoing FSU versus ACC litigation, he also touched on some of the university’s major projects — such as FSU Health and the future of student housing — as he spoke to a group of about 60 Capital Tiger Bay Club members at the Tucker Civic Center during a luncheon.
Check it out: FSU Board of Trustees Chair Peter Collins weighs in on ACC lawsuit, conference budget gap
When it comes to FSU Health, an initiative that aims to build a health care ecosystem in North Florida, Collins says he thinks it's the “most transformative thing done at FSU since hiring Bobby Bowden.”
“It’s our biggest undertaking, and it’s probably the thing that will separate us the most when we talk about AAU (Association of American Universities),” said Collins, an FSU College of Business alumnus.
“FSU Health is all about academic clinical research, raising the level of the physician scientists in Tallahassee and growing that apparatus, but it takes time,” he added.
Collins, who was appointed to FSU’s Board of Trustees by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2020 before being elected chair in 2021, is the co-founder and managing principal of Forge Capital Partners — a real estate investment and management company that does business in the southeast U.S.
He was invited to be a guest speaker at the Monday luncheon by the Capital Tiger Bay Club, which was founded in 1971 to provide invitation-only members a non-partisan forum on current political issues.
FSU’s future expansion, building plans
Ahead of Collins’s guest speaking opportunity at the Monday event, the university’s Board of Trustees met Thursday and approved a $3 billion operating budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which marks the largest annual spending amount in FSU history.
The university has increased its budget by 50% in the last five years.
Over $500 million from the budget will go toward capital projects — including the Doak Stadium seating enhancements, the College of Business’s Legacy Hall and the FSU partnership with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to build a new academic health center.
But looking further ahead, Collins told the club members about FSU’s future expansion plans that include establishing four new residence halls between the next five to six years to meet on-campus housing demands, building an art district and growing its Innovation Park area.
In addition, Collins touched on the university’s high trajectory of student enrollment.
FSU received about 76,000 applications this year for 6,000 spots. For five consecutive years, it had more applications than any of the other colleges and universities in the Florida State University System, according to Collins.
As on-campus housing continues to be in high demand for students at FSU, Collins said one of his goals that he would like to reach by the end of his chairmanship is for the “entire freshman class to have the chance to live on campus.”
“I think it matters to be able to live on campus, but we don't have enough housing,” Collins said. “We’re getting there, but we’re not there yet.”
FSU’s housing ambitions — among its other future initiatives — is where the need for more funding comes into play.
When explaining how more money will be raised, Collins said the university is “totally restructuring” its FSU Foundation, where 30 people will be hired over next 12 months with positions including gift officer roles.
‘A connection with the university’
While talking about the university’s landscape, Collins made sure to give FSU President Richard McCullough his kudos, although he was not in attendance at the luncheon.
“He understands the value of hard work, and I’m a big propeller of that,” Collins said.
Besides McCullough's leadership, the board — solely made up of alumni, excluding the FSU faculty senate and student body presidents — plays a key role in FSU’s expansion efforts as it acts as the fiduciary of the university.
“As an alum, I think it’s important to have a connection with the university,” Collins said.
Charlie Barnes, a former president of the Capital Tiger Bay Club who also served 35 years with FSU’sSeminole Boosters, said he was happy to hear Collins share updates about the university during the luncheon.
“I’m very impressed that we have people of that quality who are involved with the Board of Trustees,” Barnes told the Tallahassee Democrat, referring to Collins. “It just makes me happy to know that we have knowledgeable, powerful and influential people who love the university.”
Here are some other FSU highlights Collins addressed during the Capital Tiger Bay Club event:
FSU's current student enrollment is 43,700 compared to 42,800 five years ago.
This year, FSU has $415 million in research expenditures compared to about $200 million six years ago.
FSU’s payroll in 2019 was $678 million, and this past year, it was $856 million. Collins predicts the university will cross the billion dollar threshold — just in salaries — in the next few years.
Contact Tarah Jean attjean@tallahassee.comor follow her on X:@tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State trustees chair Peter Collins talks about growth strategy
