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Midtown SPC campus to stay open for now

By Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer
In print: Sunday, July 27, 2008

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ST. PETERSBURG — St. Petersburg College will keep its Midtown campus open for at least one more semester, school officials said.

But course offerings at the campus most likely will be limited to night and weekend classes instead of a full schedule, said Susan Reiter, the college's director of Facilities Planning and Institutional Services.

SPC President Carl Kuttler alerted City Hall in May that the 22nd Street S center might be vacant by Sept. 30 because of financial troubles. The college planned to divert students to its growing downtown campus.

Kuttler reconsidered his plans after Mayor Rick Baker and Deputy Mayor Goliath Davis, who oversees economic development in Midtown, disapproved.

It's unclear whether the campus has a future after fall semester final exams. School officials will decide the fate of the location based on the success of the semester.

The Midtown campus opened in September 2003 with 83 students and now averages 300 students per term. It was a central part of Baker's campaign to revitalize Midtown, an area composed of some of St. Petersburg's most impoverished and crime-ridden neighborhoods.

Cristina Silva can be reached at (727) 893-8846 or csilva@sptimes.com.