University of Tampa Acquires Statue of Liberty

The University of Tampa announced that it has acquired the world famous 151 foot-tall Statue of Liberty, purchased and then donated to the school by wealthy alumnus Glen Brad Chad. 

It will be displayed somewhere to the north of Plant Hall, once it’s determined which housing facility or sports activity center is torn down to make room for it.

The renowned former beacon of freedom will be part of an interactive “sculpture trail” that will add 15-20 sculptures to the campus, beginning with the installation of Robert Indiana’s six-foot “LOVE” sculpture announced last week.

Sculpted by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and originally presented as a gift to the United States from France, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886. In 1903, the poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, with the words “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” was cast onto a bronze plaque and mounted inside the lower level of the statue’s pedestal.

“Yeah, with the rising popularity of anti-immigrant sentiment in the last few years, it seemed like America was done with it, so I actually got a pretty sweet deal,” said Chad.