Visions of the Year to Come 2015 D E P A R T M E N T H E A D
Ronald L. Vaughn, Ph.D.
President
University of Tampa
Thoughtful and unprecedented residential, business and recreational
development in Tampa Bay’s urban cores – especially downtown
Tampa – will serve as a magnet for college graduates and young,
creative people to stay, live and work in the Tampa Bay area. The
University of Tampa itself will invest $55 million in two new buildings
this year, which adds to the $400 million in construction since 1998.
These and other improvements in the Kennedy Boulevard corridor,
and much more to come in the Channelside District, will accelerate
downtown Tampa development. Plus, the incredible entrepreneurial
drive I’m seeing amongst UT students is an encouraging trend; and
that energy needs to stay in Tampa Bay. All of this, along with positive
momentum in community livability issues and transportation
improvement plans on the horizon, will make the area so much
more attractive.
J. Harrison Smith
Sculptor
The economic challenges of the last few years greatly affected the arts when
governmental, corporate, and personal budgets had to be reconciled. Art
tended to be the first thing cut and the last thing added.
Whether it be visual, musical, dance or theatrical, the arts define a civilization.
They enhance the aesthetic quality of our lives and are actually profitable.
When corporations look for relocation sites, cultural opportunities are a primary
consideration.
St. Petersburg has already made a large investment in the arts. Clearwater’s
Arts Alliance’s project of “Pianos for Pinellas” successfully integrated creative
art into the community. The opportunities for Pinellas County’s 24 municipalities
to come together in embracing the arts are endless. There is a move afoot of
those who have a vision of what that could be. The best way for us to build
and enrich our community is to join together to fund and inspire creativity
in 2015.
Lisa Mansell
Community Affairs Director
Church of Scientology
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard said that “on the day we can fully trust
each other, there will be peace on Earth.” As we move through 2015, I see more
trust and more collaboration between diverse members of the community. These
collaborations may start with small projects, but it will show what can be done and
will then grow into a better sense of community. There is a strong basic purpose
here among many, to make the Tampa Bay area a beautiful, viable and worthwhile
place to live. As 2015 unfolds, I see more community leaders focusing on the
purpose, not bickering about how to manifest that purpose, bringing us all one
step closer to an ideal region.
46 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015