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Florida Polytechnic University (FPU) is a public university located in Lakeland, Florida, United States. FPU is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, and is the state's only public polytechnic university.

On July 1, 2012, Florida Polytechnic University became the 12th and newest member of the State University System of Florida.

History
Florida State Senator JD Alexander began a campaign during his final term in the senate to break USF Polytechnic away from USF and into an independent university. Alexander, as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, proposed a 2012-13 state budget that provided $33 million for USF Polytechnic to sever ties with USF. Alexander pushed the separation even though USF and USF Poly were just 33 miles apart, and the students and faculty of USF Polytechnic didn't want the split.

In November 2011, the Florida Board of Governors - in response to Alexander's proposal - approved a multi-year plan that would have allowed USF Polytechnic to split into an independent university. The Board stipulated that to gain independence, the campus must meet eight criteria, including accreditation, the construction of residence halls and the development of a STEM curriculum. Alexander, displeased with the Board's compromise, introduced a new budget for the state universities that included immediate independence for USF Polytechnic. Alexander's budget effectively bypassed the Board of Governors, which controls Florida's state universities. On April 20, 2012, Governor Rick Scott signed into law Alexander's budget for the State University System, including the provision that granted USF Polytechnic immediate independence. The law took affect on July 1, 2012, when USF Polytechnic closed down and a new university began as Florida's 12th public university, "Florida Polytechnic University."

Campus
In 2004, the USF Board of Trustees agreed to move USF Polytechnic to a new site and thus a new campus. The Trustees agreed to move the campus to the corner of the East Bound I-4/Polk Parkway intersection. In 2009, USF Polytechnic announced world renown Santiago Calatrava as the architect of their massive campus.

Alberto Alfonso, AIA has been named the Executive in Residence and Interim Program Development Director for Architecture and Design. Alfonso's appointment runs from April 15, 2011, to June 30, 2015. Alberto Alfonso will operate in partnership with Santiago Calatrava on the project as the local architect of record. In 2011, Governor Rick Scott approved Florida legislature grants to build the Innovation, Science, & Technology main building. By 2013, the Innovation Science & Technology, Wellness Center, Residence Halls, and Temporary Research Laboratories should be constructed. Students will begin to arrive on the new FPU campus in 2013.