By Sean McManus
Staff Writer
“Cobbled from unlikely sources.”
That’s how Dr. Steven Wallace, president of Florida Community College at Jacksonville described the $25 million in funding it took to build the new Advanced Technology Center downtown that was dedicated in a ceremony with Gov. Jeb Bush Wednesday.
In a brief speech to about 200 people gathered, in addition to the dedication, for the passing into law of the new Florida Technology Development Act, Wallace bestowed high praise on a governor who was “with him every time,” when he was raising money for the Center. FCCJ considers the Center, located on State Street downtown, to be one of the leading high-tech work force training facilities in the world. And, Wallace noted that the governor engendered a “climate of education reform and innovation that helped make the dream a reality.”
“When Cornerstone identified key target industries for Jacksonville in 1997, we took that as a prescription for knowledgeable workers,” said Wallace. “We set out to respond big and respond fast. The normal seven to nine year lag time for public facilities was too long. And we built it in record time.”
Wallace also thanked Mayor John Delaney, saying that it was the sale of some public land that provided the preliminary funding for the project. Also, corporate donors, like Luther Coggin of Coggin Automotive, were asked to raise their hand and be recognized.
Education Secretary Jim Horne, who as a State Senator pushed through funding for the Center, remarked that 75 percent of the GNP of the United States is human capital.
“That means the far majority of the value of our nation is in knowledge,” he said. “And this is the best example of a recognition of that.”
Gov. Bush was quick to align the new Advanced Technology Center with his overall goals for education, which, he said, were first scribbled on a napkin at a restaurant in Orlando two years ago with Rep. John Thrasher.
“We wanted a student-centered system that accelerates people’s ability to succeed, and continues through life — not just until someone is 18,” said Bush.
The governor then signed the Florida Technology Development Act, designed to provide $30 million to facilitate the dissemination of quality research from public sources to educational institutions throughout Florida.
“This bill also makes it easier for the best minds in Florida to have access to money and support for innovation,” said Bush, recalling his favorite old movie “Field of Dreams” where the phrase “if you build it, they will come” originated.
Bush then took a tour of the facility before leaving Jacksonville.