On Tuesday April 13^th 2010 (Okay, so we’re a little late) Dr. William ‘Bill’ Law became President of St. Petersburg College. That may come as a shock to most , because many readers may not have known or heard of our long time President Carl Kuttler Jr.’s retirement in late 2009. After some words with the Dr. Law himself, our college is in good hands. (No, we did not call Allstate.)

Dr. Law sat at his desk in a bow tie and gave an approving grin. “Come on in,” he said smiling. Now this is the attitude of success.

In short, Bill Law is set out to, not only improve the student’s experience on campus, but set out to do it with a smaller budget than ever before. Though the exact figures of the cut have not come down the line, Dr. Law estimates a 4-5% decrease in budget size.

How does our President answer this cutback?

He does not give in to the wounded budget. When given the opportunity to raise the cost of tuition per credit hour by 8%, he only raised it by 3%. Although the budget may be in jeopardy, the students are not –thanks to President Law. He is intent on keeping the quality of SPC’s education the same, though the dollars may be fewer.

He is also determined to improve scholastic counseling at the campuses and make them more consistent throughout. No more ‘campus hopping’ to get the answer you want about your financial aid or transcript questions. (Yes, he knows about this.) His aim is to end all the confusion on the staff’s end and improve the knowledge that can be imparted on the student’s end.

How many students have wandered around administration or their scholastic ‘e-profile’ wondering how many more labs or algebras it would take to get to that next step in their education?  Dr. Law says no more. He is making strides in removing the opaquely packaged e-resources and making sure that students can “simulate their graduation”. He wants students to know what next step must be taken in order to ensure their success, whether that be graduating or transferring.

As for the future of the newspaper… he knows that he may come under fire, as may his administration. Because he is a man of integrity, he gives his word that he will not censor our medium. And so we welcome him to the Sandbox.