Home- College of Education Faculty Oral Histories
- Dr. Bill Katzenmeyer
College of Education Faculty Oral Histories
Dr. Bill Katzenmeyer
As the dean, I loved SCATT, among other reasons, because it was a wonderful lobbying tool. After some work talking with legislators about the quality and dedication of students in the SCATT program, we still had legislators saying negative things about teacher education programs in general, but citing the SCATT program at USF as the exception and example of what teacher education could be. Initially, the program probably got more credit than it deserved. But because it had good and energetic leadership, the program soon was even better than its reputation. LB: There was a Center for Instructional Computing directed by Dr. Bill Engle. That was just as computers were coming into being. I think that later became the Florida Center for Instructional Technology with grants from the state, but do you remember that?
BK: Yes, I do remember that well. As a faculty member in Measurement and Research, I had been very involved in technology at Duke. I remember what a shock it was to come here in 1978. When I came here it took two or three days to get a simple FORTRAN program at central computing. It was a sort of disaster. So I argued to myself, Ed Uprichard, and Hugh Hoffman, both associate deans at that time, that if in 10 years we not a leader in instructional technology, we’re not going to be leading anywhere as a college. We decided to take action. We sent out a memo saying we needed to start an initiative in instructional technology that would provide course releases and training opportunities to faculty who would like to take leadership in this direction. Bill Engle and Andrea Troutman were the first, followed by Herb Karl and Frank Breit. Bill Engle moved to the Fort Myers campus and headed up our program there. Andrea Troutman recruited Herb and Frank. Lots of energy, excitement, program development, and grants followed. We are fortunate for having recruited Jim White and Ann Baron. Together, their talents and exceptional efforts laid the foundation for the excellent program in instructional technology we have today. Jim Paul did amazing work reinventing and reinvigorating the Department of Special Education.
LB: The Pizzo Elementary School. I know you were instrumental in that happening. Were there obstacles? BK: By this time Ed Steiner and Evelyn Searls were serving as associate deans. In discussion with the Administrative Council, we thought it would be very valuable for us to have an on-campus school that had facilities for our people to observe teachers and children. The current site of Pizzo Elementary, which is adjacent to our Child Development Center, was available because it had been used as a refuse dump at one time and presented some problems.
Together with Walter Sickles, then Superintendent of Hillsborough County School Distinct, went to work on getting it done. The fun and challenge started when our then-President Frank Borkowski, on the advice of then-Vice President Bert Hartley of “don’t build a fancy day-care center” fame, said no. He didn’t think we should be using land for a school that the College of Education would work with. We kept pushing. Then I received a letter from President Borkowski saying that the school was not going to be here on campus, that I should be quiet about it, not say anything. And I don’t know whether you remember but…
LB: I remember the meeting.
BK: I sent back a letter to him and copied it to the faculty saying that while I had received his instruction to say no more about the matter, I thought having this was important enough to the long-term interests of the College and the University and that I could not defer and remain silent. At the same time Walt Sickles had said he would meet with a number of business people and explain how valuable it would be to Hillsborough County schools if we were able to have an on-campus school. Then one day I got the call saying all right, we’re going to go ahead and build the school. So Walt Sickles was really to be credited with the fact that we actually were able to build the school. This underlines the importance of our having good relationships with the schools and school leaders to get things done in the University. Walt was a very good golf buddy of mine and an excellent educator.
LB: Your association with the Anchin Center is probably best known, the Anchin Center for Educational Advancement and Teaching. I’m sure there is a story behind it and how the funding was secured from the Anchin family in Sarasota.
BK: Oh, there is a good story.
LB: Can you tell us?
BK: Yes. Actually, the Anchin Center grew out of the SCATT program. Bob Taylor (owner-developer of South Seas Plantation and Robb and Stucky Furniture stores) and his wife, who lived in Ft. Myers, became interested in the work that SCATT was doing when we held workshops in Ft. Myers. We had SCATT students from Ft. Myers, and we held some retreat events there with the Taylors participating. Dr. Joyce Swarzman and I had in the back of our minds the notion that we would love to have a center for the advancement of teaching and that the retreat setting options of the Fort Myers area were a good alternative. In conversation with Bob and his wife, we said one of the things we’d really like to do is have a center dedicated to the advancement of teaching and chatted about what it might be like. At another meeting with him, probably a month or two later, he said you know we might be able to put together some money to make a Southwest Florida Center for the Advancement of Teaching go. Well, we carried that forward so we got a nice proposal all written up. We brought them up here, and the SCATT students courted them, and we arrived at a point where they were ready to sign a gift of $600,000, which was then required to get a $400,000 match and an endowed chair. But before we could actually get that done, the Post Secondary Education Planning Commission, pronounced “pepsi”, was formed. Do you remember that?
LB: Yes.
BK: That was the Higher Education Study Commission which decided we should have a new university in Ft. Myers. Bob and his wife were very apologetic, but they said we can’t really give this to you now that we’re going to have our own university in Ft. Myers. It was disappointing; we said, “Well, that is the way it goes.”
LB: “Oh, nuts,” but with a smile.